The Observer will no longer offer a work placement to the winner of The Anthony Howard Award for young journalists, which is now open to applications.
This year’s winner will earn a salary of £21,600, down from £25,000 in previous years, with placements on the Times and New Statesman.
The award was set up by magazine publisher Haymarket Media Group in honour of political journalist Anthony Howard (pictured), who died in 2010.
Howard is a former New Statesman editor, Observer deputy editor and Times obituaries editor. The award was set up in his name in 2013.
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This year’s winner will spend six months at the New Statesman and a further four months on The Times, but will not be offered an Observer placement.
An Observer spokesperson told Press Gazette: “The Observer is no longer involved in the Anthony Howard Award, but we wish them well.
“We are focusing on our own schemes aimed at helping young people into journalism and improving diversity, including the Scott Trust bursaries and our Positive Action Scheme.”
An Anthony Howard Award spokesperson said: “While the award is sorry that the Observer has chosen not to offer a placement we are very grateful to the New Statesman for generously increasing its contribution.
“This year’s winner will spend six months at the Statesman and four months at the Times. The reduction in prize money reflects the reduction in the duration of the award from 12 months to 10 months.”
Applicants to the award must be under the age of 27 on the closing date for entry and submit a proposal for a 5,000-word essay on British politics and Government showing “flair, imagination and wit”.
Previous prize winners include Times defence correspondent Lucy Fisher, New Statesman political correspondent Patrick Maguire and BBC News journalist Dulcie Lee.
Judges of this year’s prize include Lord Hennessy, Sir Jeremy Isaacs and representatives from The Times and New Statesman.
Applicants for the 2019 prize should send their proposal along with an example of their writing (up to 800 words) and a short CV, including contact details, to anthonyhowardaward@gmail.com.
The deadline for entry is 23.59pm on Friday 26 April 2019.
Visit the Anthony Howard Award website for more details.
Picture: Murdo Macleods
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