Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment
Encyclopedia
The Grantham Prize is an annual literary award
established in September 2005 by Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham and the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting to annually recognize and honor the work of one journalist
or team of journalists for exemplary reporting on the environment.
"The public deserves ready access to the kind of information and news that only outstanding independent journalism can provide," the Granthams said in announcing the prize, which is administered by the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, housed at the University of Rhode Island
's world-renowned Graduate School of Oceanography. They say they want their annual award of $75,000 to "give that kind of reporting the honor, respect, and visibility it needs."
The purpose of the Prize is to encourage outstanding coverage of the environment, to recognize reporting that has the potential to bring about constructive change, and to broadly disseminate the Prize-winning story to increase public awareness and understanding of issues focusing on the environment.
The prize is awarded annually to non-fiction work done in North America during the previous calendar year in newspapers, magazines, and books and on television, cable, radio, and online.
Among the criteria jurors consider are the significance of the subject matter, quality and originality of the journalism, and the effort involved in telling the story. The Grantham Prize entries are judged by an independent panel of jurors. The 2008 jury will be chaired by Philip Meyer, Professor, Knight Chair in Journalism at the University of North Carolina
School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Journalists named to the juror panel are: David Boardman, Seattle Times
; Peter Desbarats, University of Western Ontario
, and veteran journalist and author; and Robert B. Semple, Jr., The New York Times
.
The Grantham Prize is funded by Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham through The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. The foundation supports natural resource conservation programs both in the United States and internationally.
The Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting was established in 1997 with funding from three journalism foundations and the Belo Corporation, The Providence Journal Charitable Foundation, and the Philip L. Graham Fund, and also from the Telaka Foundation. The Institute was established as a memorial to Michael Metcalf, a visionary leader in newspaper journalism and, from 1979 to 1987, the Publisher of The Providence Journal Bulletin. The Metcalf Institute provides science and environmental science training for reporters and editors to help improve the accuracy and clarity of reporting on marine and environmental issues.
Literary award
A literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...
established in September 2005 by Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham and the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting to annually recognize and honor the work of one journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
or team of journalists for exemplary reporting on the environment.
"The public deserves ready access to the kind of information and news that only outstanding independent journalism can provide," the Granthams said in announcing the prize, which is administered by the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting, housed at the University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
's world-renowned Graduate School of Oceanography. They say they want their annual award of $75,000 to "give that kind of reporting the honor, respect, and visibility it needs."
The purpose of the Prize is to encourage outstanding coverage of the environment, to recognize reporting that has the potential to bring about constructive change, and to broadly disseminate the Prize-winning story to increase public awareness and understanding of issues focusing on the environment.
The prize is awarded annually to non-fiction work done in North America during the previous calendar year in newspapers, magazines, and books and on television, cable, radio, and online.
Among the criteria jurors consider are the significance of the subject matter, quality and originality of the journalism, and the effort involved in telling the story. The Grantham Prize entries are judged by an independent panel of jurors. The 2008 jury will be chaired by Philip Meyer, Professor, Knight Chair in Journalism at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Journalists named to the juror panel are: David Boardman, Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
; Peter Desbarats, University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
, and veteran journalist and author; and Robert B. Semple, Jr., The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
The Grantham Prize is funded by Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham through The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. The foundation supports natural resource conservation programs both in the United States and internationally.
The Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting was established in 1997 with funding from three journalism foundations and the Belo Corporation, The Providence Journal Charitable Foundation, and the Philip L. Graham Fund, and also from the Telaka Foundation. The Institute was established as a memorial to Michael Metcalf, a visionary leader in newspaper journalism and, from 1979 to 1987, the Publisher of The Providence Journal Bulletin. The Metcalf Institute provides science and environmental science training for reporters and editors to help improve the accuracy and clarity of reporting on marine and environmental issues.
Honorees
Grantham Prize- 2011: James Astill, "The World's Lungs", The Economist, eight-part special report
- 2010: Alanna Mitchell, Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis
- 2009: Blake Morrison & Brad Heath, "The Smokestack Effect: Toxic Air and America's Schools", USA Today
- 2008: David Barboza, Keith Bradsher, Howard French, Joseph Kahn, Mark Landler, Chang W. Lee, Jimmy Wang, and Jim Yardley. "Choking on Growth", New York Times, ten-part series
- 2007: Kenneth R. Weiss and Usha Lee McFarling, "Altered Oceans", The Los Angeles Times, five-part series.
- 2006: Jan Barry, Thomas E. Franklin, Mary Jo Layton, Tim Nostrand, Alex Nussbaum, Tom Troncone, Debra Lynn Vial, Lindy Washburn, Barbara Williams, "Toxic Legacy", The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
See also
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- Global 500 Roll of HonourGlobal 500 Roll of HonourThe United Nations Environment Programme established the Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1987 to recognize the environmental achievements of individuals and organizations around the world.The last Global 500 Roll of Honour awards were made in 2003...
- Global Environmental Citizen AwardGlobal Environmental Citizen AwardThe Global Environmental Citizen Award is an environmental award created by the Harvard Medical School Center for Health and the Global Environment and bestowed annually upon an individual working to restore and protect the global environment.-List of winners:...
- Goldman Environmental PrizeGoldman Environmental PrizeThe Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The prize includes a no-strings-attached award of...
- Heroes of the EnvironmentHeroes of the EnvironmentHeroes of the Environment is a list published in Time Magazine. The inaugural list was published in October 2007. The list contains 43 entries, individuals or groups that have contributed substantially to the preservation of environment, and is divided into four categories: Leaders & Visionaries,...
- Presidential Environmental Youth AwardsPresidential Environmental Youth AwardsThe Presidential Environmental Youth Awards is a program that recognizes students in America for their efforts and commitment to help the environment. This award was started by President Richard Nixon and was hosted and sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency since 1971...
- Tyler Prize for Environmental AchievementTyler Prize for Environmental AchievementThe Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is an award for environmental science, environmental health and energy. Tyler Laureates receive a $200,000 annual prize and a gold medallion...