Sunshine Week has partnered with Helium to bring you the Sunshine Week Citizen Journalism Awards. This is your opportunity to think like a journalist and write about open government issues. Help raise awareness about the importance of government transparency by writing unique, compelling articles. You could be recognized as a Sunshine Week Citizen Journalist and become eligible for the grand prize awarded during Sunshine Week 2009.
About the contest
The assignment: Sunshine Week will feature one new title each month. Follow Sunshine Week’s article guidelines, research the featured topic and write a compelling article for your chance to win.
The awards: Sunshine Week will pick one winning article each month. The winning writer will receive a Sunshine Week Citizen Journalism Award and recognition on Sunshine Week’s website and social networking sites.
Each monthly winner will automatically be in the running for the grand prize, to be presented during Sunshine Week 2009, March 15-21, when news organizations, schools, libraries, civic groups, government officials and others take time to talk about the importance of open government.
Get started
- Pick a title: See Sunshine Week’s current essay contest title below. You can also visit Sunshine Week’s partner page at Helium to learn more about its mission and to write to more (noncontest) titles.
- Research: Follow Sunshine Week’s article guidelines:
- Write: Write a unique article in 1,000 words or less. The issue can be addressed at the national, state or local level.
To learn more about access issues and human rights, read The Atlanta Declaration from the Carter Center’s International Conference on the Right to Public Information.
Current contest title
There are no current contest titles. Please check back again soon.
Previous contest titles
The following titles are no longer open to the contest, but you may still write to them.
- What kind of official government information should be available online, and what do you consider to be off limits?
- What do you think the Obama administration’s priorities for transparent government should be?
- Should government candidates be required to hold press conferences and answer questions from the media and the public, or should they be allowed to disclose their positions in any fashion they prefer?
- As we celebrate International Right to Know Day on Sept. 28, should access to information be considered a fundamental human right?
(The winner for this title was chosen by guest judge Laura Neuman, associate director of the Americas Program and Access to Information project manager of The Carter Center in Atlanta.) - Does government have a role in overseeing the release of results from federally funded science, or does the public have the right to view such information unfiltered?
- Should presidential candidates be required to disclose their health records?
- US elections 2008: Are candidates missing an opportunity to connect with voters on open government issues?
Be sure to check out the winners from all of our Citizen Journalism contests!.
