The “Félix Varela” Award for Excellence in American Journalism on Latino issues is the largest cash prize in this category in US Journalism.

The prizes are presented by the AL DÍA Foundation, chaired by Hernán Guaracao, former president of the National Association of Hispanic Publications in the US, and founder, editor and publisher of AL DÍA, a print and web-based news media organization with main offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The award was established to honor the memory of Father Félix Varela y Morales, an American intellectual of Latino origin who founded one of the first Spanish-language newspapers in the United States, in the city of Philadelphia, at the beginning of the 19th Century.

The “Félix Varela” Awards’ purpose is to recognize any American journalist covering with excellence multicultural issues in the nation today, either through Spanish-language Print, or any digital media outlet, in English or Spanish.

Who was FÉlix Varela?

• A Catholic priest born in Cuba in 1788 who lived most of his life in the US. He came to Philadelphia, PA, in 1824.
• Varela y Morales became that year in this city the founder of “El Habanero”, the first of several newspapers he published in the US.
• “El Habanero” saw the light in Old City Philadelphia, the cradle of our Democracy and the Free Press.
• Father Varela was also a prolific writer and the author of multiple essays on cooperation between the English and Spanish-speaking communities.
• Father Varela translated into Spanish important English-language books, including Thomas Jefferson’s “Manual of Parliamentary Practice.”
• In 1997 the United States Postal Service honored Varela by issuing a commemorative stamp.

Spanish-LANGUAGE PRINT JOURNALISM- First Prize

Imperio Narco

By Julie López from El Diario La Prensa de Nueva York

An exhaustive and compelling investigation that connects the dots to reveal a decades-long drug smuggling operation linking Guatemala and New York, with tendrils reaching to Colombia and Mexico. Employing meticulous use of court documents, independent sources, and on-the-ground reporting in both countries, this three-part series examines the faces, the places and chronology of a vast criminal enterprise that moved thousands of pounds of drugs along a supply route that begins in South America and winds its way through Central America to the northeastern United States. Spectacular reporting.

Read the award winning article here

Honorable Mention

• Más indigenas en cárceles de EEUU: Claudia Nuñez, La Opinión, Los Angeles
• Triquis se Afincan en Valle de Salinas: Eileen Traux, La Opinión, Los Angeles

DIGITAL JOURNALISM (ENGLISH OR SPANISH)- First Prize

Cross-Border Cops Arrest Father Jim

By Thomas MacMillan from New Haven Independent & La Voz Hispana

After covering the arrest of a respected local priest for video taping police activities inside a Latino grocery store, reporter MacMillan stayed on the story, covering subsequent news events and allegations of harassment by police against Latino residents of East Haven. His series of follow-up stories about the racial and ethnic tensions in East Haven are a fine example of traditional shoe leather reporting, consistent news coverage and the use of video, digital photos and court documents to provide context for the overall story. A strong marriage of multimedia and journalism.

Read the award winning article here

Honorable Mention

• Brooklyn Family Keeps Latino-Jewish Traditions Alive: Dana Rosenblatt, CNN
• Battle Zone: Daniel Newhauser, Cronkie Zine, Arizona State University.

Spanish Print Category - First Prize

Esclavos del siglo XXI

By Claudia Nuñez from La Opinión

In this well-documented series on Mexican immigrants lured to northern California by phony promises of good paying jobs who end up as virtual slaves in service jobs, Ms. Nuñez captures the human drama of this story of our times. The series is exquisitely crafted, meticulously reported and captures the human dimension of the male and female immigrants caught in a pernicious web of human trafficking, which has become a crisis of global proportions.

Read the award winning article here

Honorable Mention

• Guerra en los bosques: Traficantes amenazan, por Eva Sanchis, El Diario/La Prensa
• Luchó hasta el fin: Voluntarios desafían una montana para encontrar a un inmigrante, por Hiram Soto, Enlace

Hispanic Immigrant Stories Category - First Prize

The Mayan Way

By Matt OBrien from Daily Review

An expertly told tale of the immigration of indigenous rural Guatemalans to a suburban community in the San Francisco Bay area. This series, published in English and Spanish, explores the push and pull factors of the Guatemalans immigration the violence and poverty that drives them north, the promise that beckons, and the risks they encounter to survive in the alien culture of the United States. The series is enhanced by excellent images and moving first-person audio accounts by the immigrants.

Read the award winning article here

Honorable Mention

• Death in the Desert: Jesus long journey home, by Mariana Alvarado Avalos, Arizona Daily Star.
• The Best of all Bad Choices, by Angelica Herrera, The Chicago Reporter.

Four $10,000 awards will be presented by the AL DÍA Foundation for the best examples of print and web-based journalism on American Latino and Multicultural Issues in four categories:

• Best Feature Writing
• Best Blogging
• Best Documentary
• Best Photojournalism

Submissions must consist of materials prepared in the ordinary course of the journalist’s professional production. Only one entry per individual is accepted. Individuals may apply on their own, or be entered by their organization. Multiple by-lines are eligible.

Entry Procedures

• There is no entry fee.
• No entry materials will be returned.
• No faxed or e-mail entries.

Print Journalism and Digital Journalism Applicants

• Submit FIVE hard copies of the qualifying materials.
• All clips must show the name of the publication, story headline, page, and date of publication.
• Entries must be on 8-1/2 x 11 inch white pages without fold-overs or reductions. Broadsheet originals may need cut-and-pasting. Photocopies are also acceptable. • Digital Journalism entries must also include a disk.

Materials may be used by the AL DÍA Foundation for promotional purposes of the "Félix Varela" Awards.

Deadline

Entries for the 2011 & 2012 awards must be postmarked no later than August 31st, 2012.

Entry Application

Copy of the application is available here in Adobe PDF format. The entry form must be downloaded, printed, and mailed to the address below.

The “FÉLIX VARELA” Awards
AL DÍA Foundation
1835 Market Street, 4th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
e-mail: felixvarela@aldiainc.com

Four $10,000 awards will be presented by the AL DÍA Foundation for the best examples of Journalism produced on American Latino and Multicultural issues during 2011 & 2012 across the 50 states. Below are the award categories:

Best Feature Writing

Acknowledges the best practices of narrative journalism, and feature writing depicting the experience of Americans of Latino origin, and the migration which has taken place from Latin America to North America.

Best Blogging

Honors the most creative, innovative, and sharp practices of writing in the latest format created by the technological evolution of the 21st century. Opinion, feature writing, and personal journalism are welcome as long as they relate to descriptions of and reflections on the influence of Latino culture in the United States of America.

Best Documentary

Recognizes journalism via Audio-Visual languages: T.V., digital T.V., webcast, or regular film documentary showing the reality of the myriad untold stories of Latinos gradually becoming part of the fabric of the U.S.A. Pieces which don’t exceed 12 minutes are highly encouraged.

Best Photojournalism

Rewards the best use of the power of photography to tell stories via the static image, and the use of modern technology introduced into the art of photography (i.e. digital, photoshop, etc.). Photo essays and/or feature photography will be favored over single photo shots.

The deadline for submissions of work for the award is August 31st, 2012