The Big Square Piazza Maggiore Bologna
Photo courtesy of Anita Malina, shared CC 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Applications are open for the second edition of the Piazza Grande Religion Journalism Award, launched by the International Association of Religion Journalists (IARJ) with the support of Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII (FSCIRE).

The prize was first launched in 2019 to honour and promote the work of journalists covering religion and spirituality in both mainstream and confessional media – newspapers, magazines or news websites – that publish regularly in Europe and the countries surrounding the Mediterranean basin.

The second edition will award three journalists with prizes of € 2,000, € 500 and € 250 and a certificate, all funded by the IARJ.

The IARJ is committed to promoting best practices in the field of religion journalism, and to extending our network of highly skilled reporters who understand the nuances and stories of faith, says Peggy Fletcher Stack, the IARJ’s executive director.

In 2019, our first Piazza Grande Prize attracted dozens of entries, with diverse and thoughtful writing from many European and Mediterranean countries. With this contest, we hope to further showcase journalistic excellence in this crucial field.

Article titled “Dio Dietro le Sbarre”
Italian journalist Federica Tourn was awarded the first Piazza Grande Award for Dio dietro le sbarre-God behind bars (with photos by Isabella Beatrice De Maddalena), published by Catholic magazine Jesus in July 2019.

In its first edition, the award received entries from journalists based in countries including Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom.

What We Encourage

The award is intended to encourage best practices in journalism such as timeliness of the report, accuracy and balance, reliance on a range of direct sources and proper historical and cultural context, through:

  • Working with a wide range of knowledgeable sources in preparing reports
  • Exploring religion’s role in peace and conflict
  • Highlighting efforts at dialogue, especially interfaith contacts that cross religious boundaries
  • Identifying ways that religion shapes public life, including politics, culture, the fine arts, the sciences and our understanding of history
  • Reporting on religion at local, regional or international levels

Reporters are invited to submit their work that was published at local, regional or international levels. We are looking for entries that demonstrate the best in journalism that shows readers the impact of religion in a wide range of issues. Examples include:

  • politics and public life
  • peace-building and efforts to combat bias and bigotry
  • culture and the arts
  • regional traditions as well as the importance of history today
  • the roles of minorities in these regions of the world
  • scholarly research involving aspects of religion and religious communities
  • interfaith relationships
  • impact of the pandemic on religious communities

An international jury of prominent journalists will select the winner, who will be announced in the framework of the annual conference of the European Academy of Religion-EuARe in St. Andrews, Scotland, on 21-23 June 2023.

The competition will accept works that were published between 1st January 2022 and 31st December 2022. Applicants must have had their pieces published in mainstream media or in confessional media following traditional journalistic standards.

What is eligible?

Applicants must have had their pieces published in mainstream media or in confessional media with standard journalistic practices in countries of geographical Europe and in all countries of the Mediterranean basin.

Applicants must be based in any of the countries of the designated area, and their works must be published in newspapers, magazines, news websites or news wires of the designated area.

Who will judge the entries?

An international jury of prominent journalists will select the winner, who will be announced in the framework of the annual conference of the EuARe.

Time limits & deadline for entries

In its second edition, the Piazza Grande Religion Journalism Award accepts works published between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. Entries may be submitted as late as April 15, 2023 – 11:00 am GMT.

Languages of entries

Entries may be in any of the official languages of Europe and the Mediterranean basin. Copies of the original articles must be included with your submission.

Important: To assist our judging panel, any entries that are not in English must include a faithful translation in English.

Entry fee

There is no entry fee.

FAQs: Got more questions?

You can find your answer on the Eligibility and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page.

How to enter

  • Create one document for all of your articles. Acceptable file formats are: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .rft, .txt
  • Fill out the entry form below. Important: All fields marked with red asterisks are required for a submission. Please try to fill out the other fields as well, if they are relevant.
  • Upload the one document containing all the articles in your submission.

Submissions for this contest are now closed.