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Elizabeth O’Neill Journalism Award

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australia-Indonesia Institute invite applications by 30 October 2009 for the Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award. The Award is open to high achieving early or mid-career journalists. 

Background

The Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award commemorates the distinguished career of Elizabeth O’Neill OAM who died in service of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Indonesia on 7 March 2007. The Award builds on her tireless work to foster mutual understanding of Australia and Indonesia through accurate and informed media coverage.

The Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Award will involve one journalist from Indonesia and Australia each year. The Award is open to journalists from print, radio, television and online media organisations.

The Award will cover: 

• business class international airfares and domestic transfers from the participant’s home city
• accommodation, internal transport, visas and meal allowances

The award will not cover the cost of travel for dependents or translators. Successful applicants will be responsible for having an up-to-date passport. 

Nomination

The successful applicant will be selected from nominations received from individual journalists and media organisations.

Nominations should include the following information:

• Completion of application form (see below)
• Name, position and biographical details
• Media organisation
• Influence and reach of organisation (including estimated circulation/audience)
• Sponsor assessment of nominee (track record, influence, capacity to meet program objectives)
• Fluency in English
• A short statement (500 words) in English addressing the selection criteria, outlining main areas of interest, key objectives and relevance to Award criteria

Selection Criteria

The broad criteria against which applicants will be assessed are below. Please address each criteria in your covering letter.

- the applicant’s media audience reach and impact;

- the applicant’s capacity to accurately inform their audience about issues in the bilateral relationship between Australia and Indonesia and to report on stories of relevance to the bilateral relationship;

- the applicant’s ability to build understanding of media operations in the host country, and develop and sustain relationships with counterparts and contacts established during the Award program;

- the applicant’s personal and professional experience, and how they see the Award as furthering their personal and professional objectives.

- Availability to travel to Australia for a program of three weeks duration, with dates (and several options) nominated between December 2009 and March 2010.

Nominations should be emailed to: public-affairs-jakt@dfat.gov.au

A selection panel in Canberra will choose the successful participant. The successful applicant will be announced in mid-November 2009.

The successful applicant must be available to travel between December 2009 and March 2010. 

Program

The Award recipient will spend up to three weeks in Australia on a fully funded program to build a stronger understanding and appreciation of the broad range of issues facing contemporary Indonesia and Australia. The program will be tailored to the journalist’s area of expertise and reporting responsibilities in such areas as foreign and trade policy, development assistance, people-to-people links and education.

Meetings may include: 

•  local media organisations (television and radio stations, newspapers etc), both commercial and government owned;
• a reciprocal visit to the employer of the host country participant ;
• academic institutions, including those with specialist journalism and communications courses;
• media industry regulators; and
• access to ministers (where possible), and government officials.

Participants are encouraged to act as international correspondents for their home agency and to file stories during their participation in the program. 

Evaluation

On completion of the Award program, the Australian Embassy will meet with participants to evaluate the program outcomes.

Participants will also be required to provide a short report outlining: 

• what the participant gained from the program;
• how the participant’s views were changed by the program; and
• suggestions for improving the program.

Application Form 

Elizabeth O'Neill Journalism Application Form (Ms Word) (pdf)