Amazon Introduces a writing contest for Students across Europe in association with The International Journalism Festival

The Guardian, La Stampa, El Pais, DWDL.de will publish the winning essays on the future of journalism

Amazon to award five university students with trip to Perugia to participate in the festival as part of the first-ever Amazon International Journalism Festival Scholarship

Luxembourg, 16 February 2015 – Amazon today introduced the International Journalism Festival Scholarship writing contest.  Students from across Europe aged 19-25 are challenged to answer the question “What is the future of journalism?” in an essay 2,000 words or less.  The UK winning student will have their essay published by the Guardian during the week of the festival, and receive full airfare and lodging accommodations from Amazon to attend the festival in Perugia, Italy (April 15-19, 2015). 

In addition, the best essays will become a book published by the International Journalism Festival in the Kindle Store with Kindle Direct Publishing.

The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2015 and the essays will be judged on the basis of on their relevance to theme, originality, writing style, innovative ideas and ability to engage readers.

“Amazon is back once again as the main sponsor of the International Journalism Festival.  Amazon exemplifies what it means to put the reader first and to invent on their behalf, which is precisely what we try to inspire and facilitate over five days of thought-provoking discussion at the festival,” said Arianna Ciccone, who co-founded the IJF with Christopher Potter in 2006.  “We are excited too that Amazon is introducing a new twist this year – the opportunity for five university students to win scholarships to join us for the whole festival.”

“The International Journalism Festival is an important forum for inventing new ways that we as readers will consume news, insights, and opinions in the future,” said Diego Piacentini, Senior Vice President, Amazon. "We are excited to help support and work together with The Guardian and other major European newspapers, and allow students from Europe to be part of this discussion, share their ideas on the future of journalism, and maybe become our next generation of leading journalists.”

Students can submit their entry for the International Journalism Festival Scholarship by completing the application form on the dedicated IJF scholarship webpage.  Simply upload your essay and complete the registration form on the page www.amazon.co.uk/ijf-scholarship.  Winners will be announced in March.  For more information and a complete set of rules, visit www.amazon.co.uk/ijf-scholarship.

The International Journalism Festival (IJF) also announced that Amazon is returning as the festival’s main sponsor.  The ninth annual festival – the largest journalism event in Europe with tens of daily sessions and hundreds speakers – is April 15-19, 2015 in Perugia, Italy.  Amazon and IJF share a vision for putting the reader first and helping content creators, including journalists and authors, connect with more readers and in new and different ways. 

Thanks to the support of Amazon, the festival will reinforce its role as a 5-day full-immersion thought laboratory where journalists can exchange opinions with readers and/or other journalists on the implications of the profound changes in news and knowledge (newspapers, books), transformed almost overnight from the static to the free-flowing, a new world that opens up seemingly unlimited possibilities.

-Ends-

For more information please visit www.amazon.co.uk/pr.

Notes to Editors

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