EVERY ENTRANT HAS A CHANCE OF WINNING £500
The Steve Harris Award is presented to an outstanding entry from all the category winners and comes with a prize of £500
ONE FREE ENTRY FOR EVERY UNIVERSITY IN EITHER THE BEST TV NEWSDAY,
BEST RADIO NEWSDAY OR BEST NEWSDAY WEBSITE CATEGORY*
All other entries are £20 per entry
Closing date – 9th October 2025
Backed by our industry partners…
Click on the below category titles for a description
This award recognises excellence in TV news reports and items such as bulletin packages, two-ways or interviews with a hard news edge. Successful entries will demonstrate the highest standards of TV journalism, but also the television production techniques that aid storytelling and communicating with the audience, and the efforts made to ensure representation of the intended audience.
Running time: Up to four-minutes
This award recognises excellence in radio news reports and items such as short bulletin packages, wraps, voiceovers, two-ways or interviews with a hard news edge. Successful entries will demonstrate the highest standards of radio journalism, but also the sound production techniques that aid storytelling and communicating with the audience, and the efforts made to ensure a mix of different voices.
Running time: Up to four-minutes
This award recognises excellence in TV feature journalism. Successful entries not only demonstrate the highest standards of journalism, but also the television production techniques employed to reach, inform and engage with the audience. Strong specialist journalism, in-depth reports or investigative work would all fall into this category. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Running time: Between four-minutes and 15-minutes
This award recognises excellence in radio feature journalism. Successful entries not only demonstrate the highest standards of journalism, but also the use of sound production techniques to reach, inform and engage with the audience. Features may include issues of local, national or international importance. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Running time: Between four-minutes and 15-minutes
This award recognises excellence in online news reports. Successful entries will demonstrate engaging writing and use of multimedia visuals or interactive elements to communicate with the audience. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Item details: 300-800 words plus multimedia content. URL links to relevant content / pages and one or more embedded multimedia element.
This award recognises excellence in online feature journalism. Successful entries not only demonstrate the highest standards of longer form writing, but also the multimedia production techniques employed to visualise, inform and engage with an audience online. Specialist journalism, in-depth reports or investigative work would all fall into this category. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Item details: 800+ words, plus a range multimedia content. URL links to relevant content / pages and a range of three or more embedded multimedia elements.
This award is for an individual, team or institution that demonstrates creative, compelling storytelling in sport. Judges will look for entries that engage the audience particularly in coverage that goes beyond the mainstream sports and match reports. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Entries can be one specific story, or a compilation of up to three items. The complete entry should be no longer than 15-minutes in duration.
This award recognises excellence in documentary production that is grounded in the principles of television journalism – accuracy, impact, ethics, creativity, research and reporting – together with excellent filmmaking. Judges will be looking for creativity in concept, approach and execution. Documentaries may include issues of local, national or international importance. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Running time: Between 15-minutes and one hour
This award recognises excellence in documentary production that is grounded in the principles of radio journalism – accuracy, impact, ethics, creativity, research and reporting – together with excellence in sound recording. Judges will be looking for creativity in concept, approach and execution. Documentaries may include issues of local, national or international importance. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Running time: Between 15-minutes to one hour
This is award recognises the overall output, depth of coverage and design of a multimedia news website covering a range of stories by text and multimedia elements either produced by a group or individual on newsdays. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
*eligible for one free entry per University, submitted by the course leader in either the Best TV Newsday category, Best Radio Newsday category, or Best Newsday Website category.
Entry Requirement: URL links to relevant content / pages and a show-reel of up ten-minutes of multimedia content.
This award recognises excellence in production of audio podcasts. Successful entries not only demonstrate the highest standards of communication and production, but also the use of engaging conversation, sound production techniques to reach, inform and engage with the audience. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Running time of between five and 20 minutes
This award recognises excellence in production of social media video. The entry should be a single bespoke, captioned report only for any social media platform that engages and informs the audience. A URL link to the content and a short supporting note should summarise the content and responses inspired by the video. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
Running time: Between 30 to 90 seconds
Complete programme or inserts, material not exceeding a running time of 30 minutes
This award recognises coverage throughout a radio newsday. This could include a range of bulletins, updates and longer form programmes or sequences demonstrating items such as; reporter packages, live two-ways, studio guests and features. All work submitted must have been produced during the course of one BJTC industry simulated newsday. Efforts to ensure inclusion and representation are also encouraged to be outlined within the entry form.
*eligible for one free entry per University, submitted by the course leader in either the Best TV Newsday category, Best Radio Newsday category, or Best Newsday Website category.
Complete programme or inserts, material not exceeding a running time of 30 minutes.
The Steve Harris Award for Excellence in Journalism is presented to an outstanding winner from all of the above categories.
Check out last year’s finalists here
Closing Date: 9th October 2025
All shortlisted students will be invited to attend an industry-backed awards ceremony in November 2025
