Council on Contemporary Families 2018 Media Awards for Outstanding Coverage of Family Issues
The Council on Contemporary Families (CCF) announces the opening of nominations for its Thirteenth Annual Media Awards competition. We honor outstanding journalism that contributes to the public understanding of contemporary family issues, in particular the story behind the story: how diverse families are coping with social and economic change; what they need to flourish; and how these needs can best be met. The Council will consider both print and broadcast pieces that appeared during a two-year period: 2016 and 2017. The deadline for nominations is January 10, 2018.
The CCF Media Awards are presented to recipients at our annual conference. Our upcoming conference, held in Austin, Texas on March 2, 2018, will include dynamic presentations and discussions on the state of reproductive health topics related to “Creating American Families in the 21st Century.”
Journalists, reporters, and producers who present complex family issues in their broader social context are essential partners in our shared mission to promote a balanced national conversation about the cultural, legal, and psychological issues that shape both private life and public policy.
Past winners include journalists from Al Jazeera America, USA Today, Time Magazine, the Boston Globe, the San Antonio Express-News, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Baltimore Urbanite, KPCC (Southern California Public Radio), Thirteen/WNET, AlterNet, the Associated Press, among many others. Stories cover topics ranging from the consequences of parental snooping on tech-obsessed teens to hunger in Oklahoma and the role of religion in American family life.
Nomination Criteria
Writers, editors, and producers may self-nominate; CCF members are also encouraged to submit nominations.
Submissions must draw on traditional journalistic techniques of interview, observation and documentation. Opinion pieces are not eligible. Work must have been published, broadcast, or posted during calendar year 2016 and 2017.
- Video and radio submissions must not exceed 30 minutes.
- Written submissions must not exceed 2000 words; excerpts are acceptable.
- A series that covers a particular issue over time is eligible.
Deadline for Nominations
Nominations must be received by January 10th, 2018.
Winners will be notified by February 1st, 2018. Awards will be presented on March 2nd at the Council on Contemporary Families 19th Annual Conference. Winners are invited to attend the entire conference in full. We urge winners to accept their awards in person. Awards will be presented at a plenary session, and our honorees will be invited to speak for five minutes on emerging issues affecting American families and how CCF members and supporters can help the media cover these stories effectively.
Submission Instructions
Please submit relevant electronic materials (e.g., website url, word document or pdf files) via email to the chair of the CCF Media Awards Committee, Christie Boxer, at: cboxer@adrian.edu (subject line: CCF Media Awards Nomination).
Conference Details
This year’s conference is titled “Creating American Families in the 21st Century” Reproduction: Policies, Practices, and Technologies. At our highly interactive conference, leading scholars and practitioners will come together to address national issues as well as US reproductive health topics in a global context. With attention to access and affordability, as well as ethics and legality, this one-day conference will bring together a diverse group of experts — from fields such as medicine, law, psychology, sociology, and public policy — to discuss the rapidly growing field of reproductive science and health care.
CCF and how CCF assists journalists: The Council on Contemporary Families is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of family researchers, mental health and social practitioners, and clinicians, dedicated to providing the press and public with the latest research and best practice findings about American families. Founded in 1996 and based at the University of Texas at Austin, the Council’s mission is to enhance the national understanding of how and why contemporary families are changing, what needs and challenges they face, and how these needs can best be met. To learn more about other briefing papers and our annual conferences, including complimentary press passes for journalists, contact Stephanie Coontz, CCF’s Director of Research and Public Education and Professor of History and Family Studies at The Evergreen State College: coontzs@msn.com.
