ASIA SOCIETY SEEKING NOMINATIONS FOR 5TH ANNUAL  
 OSBORN ELLIOTT PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM ON ASIA

January 26, 2007, New York—The Asia Society is pleased to announce that it is now seeking nominations for the fifth annual Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia. The $10,000 prize is awarded annually to a writer who has produced the best example of journalism about Asia in print or online during the calendar year. Criteria for the prize include consideration for the impact of the work, its originality, creativity, depth of research and educational value in informing the public about Asia. The next winner of the “Oz Prize,” whose work was produced during the 2006 calendar year, will be announced at a special program at the Asia Society in New York City this spring.

The Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia honors legendary journalist and author Osborn Elliott, former editor-in-chief of Newsweek, who set new standards for reporting and editing and became one of the earliest practitioners of “civic journalism”—the deliberate focusing of the journalistic enterprise on urgent issues of public policy. Previous winners include Barbara Demick of the Los Angeles Times and Matthew McAllester of Newsday (2006), Philip P. Pan of The Washington Post (2005), John Pomfret of The Washington Post (2004) and Elisabeth Rosenthal of The New York Times (2003).

An independent jury of distinguished writers, award-winning journalists and Asia-hands, chaired by Norman Pearlstine, Senior Advisor on Telecommunications & Media for The Carlyle Group, will review nominations for the prize from both media organizations and journalists.  All nominations or direct applications are limited to one per organization or journalist.

Submission Requirements

·        Name of journalist.
·        Complete contact information, including address, email, telephone and fax.
·        A photograph or headshot of journalist for use at public announcement of the winner (image may be submitted as a print photograph or as a 300dpi image on disk in tiff or jpeg format).
·        Ten copies of the body of journalistic work to be considered.
·        A submission can consist of a single article, a series of articles around a single theme or a body of work including various themes.
·        For the purposes of this award, “Asia” is termed as defined by the Asia Society, comprising of countries from Iran eastward up and including Australia and New Zealand. It does not include the Arab Middle East.
·       While applications from non-US publications will be considered, the work    must be in English.

All submissions must be complete and received by March 9, 2007. Please submit all materials by mail. Electronic and fax submissions will not be accepted. Submissions should be directed to:
Deanna Lee
                                    Vice President, Communications
                                    Asia Society
                                    725 Park Avenue
                                    New York, NY  10021

Due to the large volume of submissions, receipt may not be acknowledged and only the winner will be notified. 

About Asia Society

Asia Society is the leading global organization working to strengthen relationships and promote understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. We seek to enhance dialogue, encourage creative expression, and generate new ideas across the fields of policy, business, education, arts, and culture. Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational institution with offices in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Melbourne,  Mumbai, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Washington, DC. On the web at www.AsiaSociety.org.

Contact

Deanna Lee or Elaine Merguerian (212) 327-9271

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