ANN ARBOR—As a way to secure the future for the nation’s top journalism award for young talent, the Livingston Awards will expand its digital media efforts and its outreach program for award winners.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is providing $450,000 in support for the new emphasis, funding that will be matched by the University of Michigan and provide time for the prestigious awards to build a permanent endowment.

The Livingston Awards, which recognize the best young talent in traditional and new forms of journalism, will attract more quality digital submissions by adding online editors to its judging panel and recruiting digital nominators. This year’s submissions are being accepted through Feb. 1.

The grant also will help the Livingston Awards reach audiences in national civic, political and cultural circles. Winners will explain the stories and their impact to community groups affected by or interested in the journalism. In the outreach program’s inaugural year, winners spoke to U.S. veterans and are scheduled to address Amnesty International U.S. Convention in April.

“It is only fitting that prizes reserved for young journalists should make special efforts to reach maximum numbers within the youngest branch of the media,” said Charles Eisendrath, Livingston Awards founder and director. “At a moment when journalism has something of an image problem, the Livingstons should also showcase annual examples of why that could and should change.”

Eisendrath also directs the Knight-Wallace Fellows at Michigan, for which he had amassed an endowment of more than $56 million, including $10 million from Knight Foundation during the past 25 years. The goal for the Livingston endowment is $6 million.

“Journalism awards don’t just identify journalism quality and promising practitioners,” said Eric Newton, senior adviser to the president at Knight Foundation. “Done well, like the Livingstons, they inspire winners and others to go on to better journalism, advance new tools and techniques and help communities understand the power of good journalism.”

About The Livingston Awards
The Livingston Awards honor outstanding achievement by professionals under the age of 35 in local, national and international reporting with prizes of $10,000. As the largest all-media, general reporting prize in American journalism, the Livingston Awards judge print, broadcast and online entries against one another.

By recognizing the best young talent early in their careers, the Livingston Awards support the work of young journalists, create modern role models for the next generation of news consumers and advance excellence in journalism. Those singled out for early career recognition by the Livingstons include Christiane Amanpour, Michele Norris, Ira Glass, Tom Friedman, C.J. Chivers, David Remnick, Rick Atkinson, Charles Sennott and David Isay.

To apply or learn more, visit www.livawards.org.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.