Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas opens call for entries for Spirit of FOI Award

posted on 5.08.2017

The Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas is accepting entries for the 2017 Nancy Monson Spirit of FOI Award recognizing outstanding journalism exploring open government and the public’s right to know.

The deadline for submission of entries is Thursday, May 18.

The contest is open to broadcast news organizations, online news media and newspapers. Nominations must have been broadcast or published in calendar year 2016 and can be a single news story or series, an editorial or series of editorials, a column, an editorial cartoon or a community FOI project.

There is a limit of one entry per news organization.

Entries will be judged in the following size classifications, and up to two entries will be recognized (a winner and an honorable mention, if warranted) in each class:

• A – News organizations located in markets with a population of 500,000 or less.
• AA – News organizations located in markets with a population of 500,000 or more.

All entries must be submitted electronically and include the following:

• A letter, headed with the name of the person or organization nominated and the classification entered, explaining the effort being cited.
• Functioning online links to stories or PDFs of pages containing the coverage being entered.
• Support documents or letters as deemed necessary.

Entries should be emailed to kelley.shannon@foift.org with the subject line FOI AWARD.

Shannon is also the contact for any questions about the contest.

Entries must be received by midnight Thursday, May 18, 2017.

Winners will be honored at the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas annual state conference Thursday, Sept. 14, at the Hilton Austin.

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