The countdown is on for young and ambitious media and communications students to get in applications for the 2024 RAS Foundation's JB Fairfax Award for Rural and Regional Journalism and Communications.
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Applications will close on Sunday, August 20.
The award provides a unique opportunity for the next generation in media and communications to gain practical work experience at leading rural press outlets.
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Aside from a cash grant, the winning applicant gets the chance to intern at Australian Community Media's The Land newspaper, Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Landline, and in the media centre of the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
RAS Foundation manager, Cecilia Logan, said the award provided the recipient with an unparalleled opportunity to work with some of the country's best journalism and media teams.
"Our award provides a $10,000 cash grant so that students are supported to become the next generation of voices within the journalism and communications community.
"If you study in the communications and media fields, we highly recommend you apply," Ms Logan said.
"Previous recipients of the JB Fairfax Award have gone on to have incredibly successful careers in government, journalism, and communications.
"This award recognises the importance of supporting regional and rural voices, enabling students to share their ideas and tell the stories from the bush."
The RAS Foundation is a charitable offshoot of the Sydney Royal Show's Royal Agricultural Society which encourages educational opportunities and helps build strong and sustainable communities through a range of targeted grants and scholarships.
For 2022 recipient, Kate Newsome from Glen Innes, the JB Fairfax Award provided an invaluable opportunity to connect with seasoned media professionals and gain career-changing experience.
A media student at the University of Sydney, in her final year, Kate has always had a passion for rural journalism that only grew during the award program.
"As I started to think about my career after uni, the world of rural journalism seemed totally inaccessible when I was studying, but this Award has opened that world up to me," Ms Newsome said.
"Growing up on a sheep and cattle property, I developed a strong sense of frustration regarding the lack of resources in rural journalism and the lack of coverage on issues impacting my community.
"With my farming background, I had no connections to the media.
"I had never done a media internship and didn't know how to get my foot in the door.
"While studying, there also seemed to be a broad assumption among my cohort that job opportunities in media are limited.
"But the internships I completed during this program gave me valuable insights into the types of career paths in rural journalism and communications."
The internships gave her not only the confidence, but the credentials to apply for other opportunities.
"The first half of this year I spent on a study tour interning at The Jakarta Post, an independent newspaper in Indonesia for a month, and recently returned from a study media trip in South Korea with nine other amazing women looking to kickstart a career in media," she said.
"Back home, I've been fortunate to gain more writing experience and mentoring from the R.M. Williams Outback magazine team - an opportunity which came up directly because of the award."
The award has taught Ms Newsomee the value of curiosity, embracing your roots and putting yourself out there and she strongly encourages students to apply.
"To get that email about the JB Fairfax Award, which felt so specifically tailored to me, there was never a question about applying. I couldn't even believe it existed," she said.
"Once I was able to network and chat with people working in rural journalism through the various internships, I started to realise that there's a wealth of opportunities out there.
"The fact this award exists, shows a real recognition of the importance of regional journalism and the need to put resources into it and to encourage people to enter that field."
Applicants are required to submit a piece of work which can include any piece of writing or media (podcast/audio/video) either written or produced previously or specifically for the application.
The recipient will be announced in November 2023.
- To find out more information about the Award, eligibility requirements, and how to apply, head to: www.rasf.org.au/jbfairfax
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