2013 RFK Book Award & Journalism Awards: Call for Submissions | Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights | Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights

2013 RFK Book Award & Journalism Awards: Call for Submissions

Awards (News)

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights is Accepting Submissions for the 2013 Robert F. Kennedy Book & Journalism Awards

The Robert F. Kennedy Book Award

The Robert F. Kennedy Book Award was founded in 1980 with the proceeds from Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s best-selling biography, Robert Kennedy and His Times. Each year, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights presents an award to the book which "most faithfully and forcefully reflects Robert Kennedy’s purposes – his concern for the poor and the powerless, his struggle for honest and even-handed justice, his conviction that a decent society must assure all young people a fair chance, and his faith that a free democracy can act to remedy disparities of power and opportunity." The RFK Book Award has been recognized as one of the most prestigious honors an author can receive.

The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards

The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards honor outstanding reporting on issues that reflect Robert Kennedy's concerns, including human rights, social justice, and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world. Winning entries provide insights into the causes, conditions, and remedies of human rights violations and injustice, and critical analyses of relevant policies, programs, individual actions, and private endeavors that foster positive change. The RFK Journalism Awards are among the few in which winners are determined by their peers. Past winners include The Washington Post, National Public Radio, CBS's 60 Minutes, ABC's 20/20, and Home Box Office.

Rules For Entry

The RFK Center is excited to partner with Review Room (www.myreviewroom.com) this year to move its awards application process online. We hope the new system will create a more fluid process and allow for an even greater number of submissions. Please note that this year no paper applications will be accepted. For the purposes of standardizing our judging process, we will only be accepting submissions in English. Please see below for more details and specific rules of entry.

Book Award

All books must have been first published in the United States between January 1 and December 31,2012. Paperback publication is eligible only if it is the first publication.
Both fiction and non-fiction works are eligible.
Books may be submitted by the author or the publisher.
Multiple entries may be submitted.
Entries must have the following materials, and must be submitted online – no exceptions:

Five (5) copies of the book
A press release, review, or descriptive cover letter
A completed official entry form
An entry fee of $75

Submit the entry form, press release, review, or descriptive cover letter, and entry fee through our online submission portal, detailed below.
Mail books only to:
ATTN: RFK Book Award Manager Christina Taylor
Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights
1300 19th St, NW
Suite 750
Washington, D.C., 20036

Deadline: Entries must be received no later than February 15, 2013.

Submission Details: Click below to submit your entry to the 2013 Robert F Kennedy Book Awards. Once in the online submission portal, create an account and follow the instructions.

Award and Ceremony

The RFK Book Award winner will receive a cash prize in the amount of $2500 and a bust of Robert Kennedy.

All winners will be notified prior to the event and provided with information regarding the awards ceremony. A press release will be issued and up-to-date information is provided on www.rfkcenter.org.

For more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Journalism Awards

Entries must have been first published or broadcast in the United States between January 1 and December 31, 2012.
Entries may be submitted either by individuals or news organizations.
Entries must have the following materials and be submitted online –no exceptions:

A completed official entry form
An entry fee of $75.00

Deadline: Entries must be received no later than February 15, 2013.

Specific Requirements for Each Category

Each professional category, except for Editorial cartoon, Radio, and New Media includes subcategories for domestic and international news coverage and allows for submissions by journalists in Internet-based, related media.

International submissions are stories that have been published or broadcast by any media source, foreign or domestic, that address an international issue outside of the United States.

Domestic submissions are those that have been published or broadcast by any media source, foreign or domestic, that address issues in the United States.

Print:

Print article
Brief summary of article and its impact

Television:

Television entry
Copy of script
Synopsis of the piece and its impact

Radio:

Radio entry
Copy of the script
Brief description of entry and its impact

Photography

Electronic portfolio of photo work
Brief description of body of work and its impact
There is no limit to how many photos may be included in a series.
No single photo entries are allowed

Editorial cartoon

Electronic portfolio of cartoon work
Brief description of body of work and its impact
Cartoon submissions must be presented as a body of work. Single entries will not be accepted. Please limit portfolios to a maximum of 15 cartoons.

New Media

Electronic file of individual story or series that speak to Robert F. Kennedy’s principles of justice and equality
Brief description of work and its impact

Judging Criteria

Entries will be judged on a variety of criteria, including appropriateness of subject matter; quality of sources and depth of research; presentation; impact of the entry on the problem it highlights; and courage in reporting. Entrants must be able to authenticate their work.

Submission Details: Click below to submit your entry to the 2013 Robert F Kennedy Journalism Awards. Once in the online submission portal, create an account and follow the instructions.

Awards and Ceremony

The RFK Journalism Award winner in each professional category will receive a cash prize of $1000 and a bust of Robert Kennedy.
The RFK Journalism Award Grand Prize winner will be announced at the 2013 ceremony and will receive an additional cash prize.

For more information, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Robert F. Kennedy High School and College Journalism Awards

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights recognizes outstanding achievement in journalism at the high school and college levels. Entries should focus on issues that reflect Robert Kennedy’s concerns, including human rights, social justice, and the power of individual action.

Entries must have been first published or broadcast in the United States between January 1 and December 31, 2012.
Entries may be submitted either by individuals or by school organizations.
There is no entry fee for High School or College categories.

College Journalism and High School Print

Copy of print/journalism entry
- For the College Journalism category, all mediums will be accepted.

Deadline: Entries must be received no later than February 15, 2013.

Submission Details: Click below to submit your entry to the 2013 Robert F Kennedy High School and College Journalism Awards. Once in the online submission portal, create an account and follow the instructions.

Awards and Ceremony

Student award winners will receive a cash prize of $500 and a bust of Robert Kennedy to present to their school.

High School Broadcast

The RFK Center is partnering with Student Television Network (STN) in the High School Broadcast category.

The Rules for submission of entries are outlined below. Entries that do not adhere to the Rules are subject to loss of points and/or disqualification by the judges. All decisions by the judges are final. The Board of Directors at the RFK Center and Student Television Network reserve the right to change or amend these Rules, at any time, and without notice.

There is no entry fee for the High School category.
Broadcast entries should not exceed 10 minutes in length.
Entries may be submitted by teams or entire classes. Entries are limited to one per student, but a school may have multiple entries.
Advisers/Teachers may not shoot, write, or edit any part of a student entry. This is a hands-off contest and must be 100% student produced.

Judging

Entries are judged by professionals from the television news industry. All decisions by the RFK Center, STN, and the judges are final. Winning entries should meet the following criteria:

Story focused on human rights, social justice, and the power of individual action.
Story includes insights into the causes, conditions, and remedies of injustice and critical analysis of relevant public policies, programs, and private endeavors.
Story demonstrates journalistic integrity and courage.
Story has a strong overall impact and professionalism.

Student Television Network supports, promotes, and recognizes excellence in scholastic broadcasting, creative video and filmmaking, and media convergence by networking students and teachers with professionals in the industry. STN offers opportunities for both teachers and students to network with individuals who face the same challenges throughout the school year. Visit www.studenttelevision.org for more information on how your school can become a member.

Awards and Ceremony

Student award winners will receive a cash prize of $500 and a bust of Robert Kennedy to present to their school. For high school broadcast winners, the Student Television Network will provide or reimburse a year's membership for the winner's school and will also feature the winning entry on the STN website