Award nominations open for SPJ/LA’s 48th annual Distinguished Journalist Awards

This fall SPJ/LA will host its 48th annual Distinguished Journalist Awards banquet.

It is a chance to celebrate and bring broader recognition to peers and colleagues for their excellent work.

Unlike other journalism awards that focus only on work completed within the past year, the Distinguished Journalist Awards, created in 1976, honors journalists “who have achieved a record of accomplishments over the course of a number of years.”

This includes reporters, editors, producers, photographers, anchors and others who make significant contributions to news coverage across broadcast, digital, visual, audio and print journalism. Nominations of freelancers are warmly welcomed. Categories are available to nominate students at both four-year and community colleges who have made substantive journalistic contributions.

We also give an FOI award to a non-journalist who has helped promote First Amendment issues. Previous winners have worked in the legal profession, academia, government and nonprofit organizations.

There is no entry fee and you may nominate as many people as you’d like. You can even nominate yourself! Journalists working in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties are eligible for nomination.

The nomination deadline is May 24.

All nominations will be reviewed by SPJ/LA’s Award Committee and final selections will go to the full SPJ/LA board. The honorees will be celebrated at the annual SPJ/LA banquet this fall. Details of the banquet will be released on a further date.