MJA32 – Making changes
The Malta Journalism Awards will be taking place again on 30th November 2024, but we’ve given it a bit of an overhaul this time. Here are the changes we’re making this year to take the awards ceremony to the next level.
Category changes
The category list is changing significantly. Instead of broad categories that split the various media forms, we are taking a thematic approach and introducing more specialised categories, including Environment & Planning, Crime & Legal Affairs, Arts & Entertainment, Business, and Political journalism. These categories will not be further split by media format, meaning print, television, radio and online will compete against each other in the same categories all throughout, unless specified.
We have taken this decision due to the changing media landscape. Traditional media formats like print, television and radio are all moving online, making it harder to draw a line between what can be considered print and television versus digital and online. At the end of the day, journalism is guided by the same overarching principles regardless of the media format it takes.
One submission per journalist
Last year, the MJA organising committee allowed journalists to submit up to three pieces of work across the three years covered by the awards that year. Since this year’s awards will cover a shorter period of time, we will be limiting the number of submissions to one piece of work from each journalist for each category. Journalists will still be able to make submissions in multiple categories. This step is also being taken to decrease the load on the adjudicating panel and ensure that judges can evaluate the work submitted in proper detail.
One adjudicating panel instead of two
This year, only one panel of judges will decide on every category in the awards list. We have taken this step to ensure that all categories are treated equally by the same group of people.
Meanwhile, for the first time in the history of the Malta Journalism Awards, the jury will be composed of three Maltese nationals and two foreign journalists. For this reason, stories submitted in the Maltese language must also submit a summary of the story in English, with a maximum length of 500 words.
Read the rules and regulations here and find the category list here.