£4,000 cash prize for investigative journalists

The Ray Fitzwalter Award, launched in honour of the distinguished former ‘World In Action’ editor, aims to recognise the best work by early career investigative journalists outside London.

The award, sponsored by the University of Salford, Channel 4, ITV, and the David & Elaine Potter Foundation is open to early career journalists working in any medium, based within the UK but outside the capital.

The competition is part of the University of Salford's Nations And Regions Media Conference which was chaired by Ray, who also served as a visiting professor at the university. 

The award is open to journalists in the first decade of their careers carrying out investigations in any medium, working and based within the UK but outside London. The winner will receive a £4,000 cash prize to be partly spent on a future investigation during 2020.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend this year’s Nations & Regions: Media Futures event at the University of Salford’s MediaCity campus on Tuesday 17 March 2020, where the winner will be announced.

The competition has now closed.

Previous winners

• 2019 – Lindsey Telford, for ‘Paisley in Paradise’, a BBC Spotlight investigation into luxury holidays taken by the North Antrim MP Ian Paisley 
• 2018 – Charles Thomson, for his investigation into the alleged cover-up of a historic paedophoile ring in Essex, published in the Yellow Advertiser newspaper.