IAPA calls for entries for its 2015 Excellence in Journalism Awards MIAMI, Florida ( November 15, 2014)—The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today issued its call for entries for the organization’s 2015 Excellence in Journalism Awards contest. This year there is a new category – Roberto Eisenmann Jr. Reporting on the Environment Award. The Panama newspaper La Prensa is sponsoring this award, which is in honor of the reporter, editor and founder of that paper. Printed and online publications and news agencies of more than 33 nations of the Americas and the Caribbean enter their best works in English, Spanish and Portuguese in the contest, whose deadline is January 15, 2015. The IAPA awards contest is one of the organization’s emblematic activities. “Each IAPA award highlights the year’s best journalistic work and is a recognition of excellence. It is also an opportunity for self-analysis and balance which benefits publications and journalists alike,” said Marcela Noble Herrera, of the Argentine newspaper Clarín and chair of the IAPA’s Awards Committee. “This year we are going to create conditions for more journalists to participate,” she declared. The adjudication panel will evaluate the entries and choose finalists in each of the 13 categories. The winners will be presented with certificates and cash prizes during the IAPA’s General Assembly next October in Charlotte, North Caroline. The categories are the following: inter-American relations, human rights, news coverage, features, in-depth reporting, photography, cartoons, infographics, opinion, newspaper in education, environmental journalism, online news coverage, and multimedia coverage. Also awarded is the IAPA Grand Prize for Press Freedom, given to a person or organization with significant achievements on behalf of the cause of freedom of the press. In general, the awards consist of $2,000, plaques and diplomas. The IAPA is an organization made up of more than 1,300 publications that includes editors, publishers and other professionals that has for more than 60 years been devoted to defending and enhancing press freedom in the Western Hemisphere. The call for entries and contest rules are posted on the IAPA’s Web site, www.sipiapa.com. To participate it is not necessary to belong to the IAPA. Direct access: http://www.sipiapa.org/awards