The Dalton Camp Award

The Dalton Camp Award is a $10,000 prize for the best essay on the link between media and democracy, presented annually by Friends of Canadian Media. We launched the award in 2002 to honour the memory of Dalton Camp, a distinguished commentator on Canadian public affairs. 

Eligible essays written in English up to 2,000 words in length are judged anonymously on both subject matter and strength of written expression.

New for 2025: Both previously published and unpublished essays may be submitted.

Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, regardless of age, student or professional status may enter. We encourage and welcome applications from across genders, ages, abilities, sexual orientations, religions, and beliefs.  

There is no entry fee.

Please read our Rules and Regulations before you submit your essay.

Topic

Original, English-language works of non-fiction on the link between media and democracy. Essays can be up to 2,000 words (not including footnotes or citations).

Essays will be judged on both subject matter and strength of written expression. Technical and academic writing should be avoided.

Eligibility

Any Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada may enter except members of the Friends of Canadian Media Board of Directors, its employees, retained consultants, and members of the jury, as well as their immediate family members.

Previous winners of the Dalton Camp Award are ineligible. However, previous winners of the Dalton Camp Student Prize are eligible.

New for 2025: Both previously published and unpublished essays may be submitted.

An essay previously published in media including but not limited to newspapers and magazines (either print or on-line), personal blogs, and newsletters is eligible for entry if the following criteria are met: the original publication date occurred within the immediately previous calendar year of the closing date for submissions; writer has retained full copyright and has not entered to any agreements which would prohibit them from receiving financial remuneration for their winning essay or would preclude their essay from being published by Friends of Canadian Media.

Submission Process

Essays must be submitted in a Word Document or other OpenDocument format through the form on the submission page. PDFs will not be accepted.  

• There is no entrance fee.
• Include a cover page with the title of the essay, name of author, and contact information of the author. As essays are judged anonymously, please do not include your name or any information identifying the author on any other essay pages besides the cover page.  
• Submissions should have a title that reflects the unique topic of the essay. Please do not use “Media and Democracy” as your essay title.  
• An entrant may submit one essay only.  
• An entry written by more than one person is not eligible.
• Pseudonyms are not permitted.
• No photographs or other visual images may be submitted.

All ideas in an entry shall be the original written expression of the entrant, save only for attributed quotations, and shall not infringe any third party’s intellectual property rights, violate privacy or publicity rights, or contain any libelous, defamatory, obscene or otherwise unlawful or objectionable content. Entrants assume sole responsibility for the accuracy and veracity of their essays. Direct quotations, borrowed ideas, and factual assertions that are not common knowledge shall be cited to the information source.

Deadline

To be eligible, essays must be received before 8 pm Eastern Time on January 6, 2025. Entries will be acknowledged with an automated reply confirming receipt.

Friends of Canadian Media will not enter into communication with entrants, other than to acknowledge receipt of an entry at the time of submission.

Prize

The jury will award one prize of CDN$10,000.00 for the best overall essay from among all eligible entries received.  

Friends of Canadian Media may publish the winning essay), as well as the name and the biographical sketch submitted by the winning entrant, in any medium, including electronically over the internet, at a time of its choosing after announcing the award. The winner is required to grant a license or assignment to this effect. The winner may also be requested to participate, to the best of their ability, in the announcement process including recording an acceptance video and granting media interviews.

Decisions of the jury are final.