Entries for Storytelling Award Due March 4

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 18, 2016) — The University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications, in the College of Communication and Information, is seeking entries for its annual David Dick "What a Great Story!" Storytelling Awards.

Storytellers can inspire a heart or break it. The award honors the best in Kentucky storytelling — stories that enlighten and inform while capturing the attention of the audience.  

Entries may be hard news, features, advocacy journalism, personality profiles, columns and even obituaries. No matter the form, the story should be well-developed and free from errors, possess sound journalistic mechanics and exhibit high ethical standards.

Two awards are given, one to a UK student journalist and the other to a professional journalist working in Kentucky. Work published during 2015 is eligible for the 2016 awards.  

The student award is open to UK journalism majors for work published or completed through student media, at an internship or at any recognized media outlet (radio, TV, newspaper, magazine or independently edited website). 

The professional award is for work done for any bona fide Kentucky media outlet (radio, TV, newspaper, magazine or independently edited website).

Entries for the award will be accepted through March 4, 2016, at this web address: https://ci.uky.edu/jat/webforms/david-dick-storytelling-award

The school established the David Dick "What a Great Story!" Storytelling Award to honor the memory of David Dick, professor emeritus and former director of the school, who died in July 2010.

"David Dick was an outstanding journalist with a distinguished career at a premier TV news network, and this is a great way to honor his memory," said Lars Willnat, director of the School of Journalism and Telecommunications. "It would certainly be a high honor for any journalist to win an award with his name on it."   

Dick, an award-winning broadcaster for CBS for 20 years, was a champion of great journalistic storytelling. He was inducted into the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame in 1987.

MEDIA CONTACT: Gail Hairston, gail.hairston@uky.edu, 859-257-3302.