[cma-l] The Sandford St Martin Awards invites entries for 2015 and announces a new Children’s Award

[CMA-L]

*The Sandford St Martin Awards invites entries for 2015 and announces a new
Children’s Award*

The Sandford St Martin Awards is now calling for entries to the UK’s most
prestigious broadcast awards for radio, TV and online content exploring
religious, spiritual or ethical themes. Entries are welcome from people
working across the broadcast media – producers, broadcasters, online
content creators and publishers.

The new Children’s Award is for broadcast content specifically aimed at
under-18s which improves young people’s understanding of religion, or,
which introduces them to moral or ethical issues.

Sandford trustee and broadcaster Roger Bolton, said: “At a time when
religion is once again central to world and British politics, and to our
culture and that of immigrant communities, it’s critical that children and
young people are exposed to imaginative works that open their eyes to the
world they share and the beliefs people hold.”

The 2015 Awards, worth around £10,000, will be presented at Lambeth Palace
in May 2015 at a ceremony attended by leading broadcasters, journalists and
programme-makers as well as representatives of different faiths.

Previous winners have included Professor Simon Schama, Danny Boyle, Ian
Hislop, Howard Jacobson, David Suchet, Rageh Omaar, Olivia Colman, Tom
Hollander, Sally Magnusson, Tony Robinson and Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.

Speaking about the awards the Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds and
Chair of the Trust, said:  “Never in my lifetime has there been a more
critical need for religious literacy amongst policy-makers, journalists and
individuals. We want to use our awards to reward and encourage programmes
that explore the complex world we live in, that draw out the implications
for governments and individuals, while also deepening understanding and
supporting partnerships between communities and neighbours.”

In 2015 the Trust is waiving the entry fee with the aim of widening access
to the Awards to a wider range of those now creating audio and visual
content about religion, ethics and spirituality.

The deadline for entries is Friday 13 February 2015.

For details on how to apply, go to www.sandfordawards.org.uk

Ends

*EDITORS’ NOTES*

*1)           **The Awards*

The following award categories are now open for entries:

·       Sandford St Martin Trust Children’s Award

·       Sandford St Martin Trust Television Award

·       Sandford St Martin Trust Radio Award

There is also a *Radio Times* Readers’ Award which is chosen by readers
voting for their favourite television programme from a shortlist published
in the magazine.

Sandford St Martin Trust trustees may also choose to make a special
Trustees’ Award for a programme they believe has made an outstanding
contribution to deepening understanding about faith, ethics or
spirituality, and/or an award for an individual’s personal contribution.

Entries for the 2015 Awards must have been broadcast for the first
time between 1 February 2014 and 31 January 2015.

The deadline for entries is Friday 13 February 2015.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 27 May 2015 at Lambeth
Palace, London.

*Entry forms and full criteria* for the awards are available on the
website: http://sandfordawards.org.uk/the-awards/2015-awards/

*2)           **The Sandford St Martin Trust*

The Sandford St Martin Trust is an independent, non-profit organisation. It
has been making annual awards for the best programmes about religion,
ethics and spirituality since 1978.

The Trust engages with a wide range of media organisations and individual
journalists, filmmakers, broadcasters and other media figures, many of whom
give their time and expertise voluntarily to support the Trust’s work. The
Trust believes the media can be a powerful tool to increase understanding
of different perspectives and beliefs in our world, helping create greater
understanding, tolerance and thoughtfulness.

You can read more about the Trust at www.sandfordawards.org.uk

https://www.facebook.com/SandfordStMartinTrust

https://www.linkedin.com/company/sandford-st-martin-trust

Follow us on Twitter:@sandfordawards

*3)           **Previous Award Winners*

Winners of the 2014 Award included historian Professor Simon Schama’s
‘Story of the Jews’ for BBC2 which scooped first prize *and* the Radio
Times Readers’ Award. ‘I Have A Dream’, the re-recording of Martin Luther
King’s speech, produced for BBC Scotland, came top in the radio category.

The award for Local, Community and Online productions went to Sounds
Jewish: The Jewish Revival in Poland, a podcast produced by JW3: Jewish
Community Centre for London and broadcast by guardian.com.

Broadcaster Melvyn Bragg received the Personal Award, while the late Sir
John Tavener was recognised with the Trustees’ Award “for the outstanding
contribution his music has made to raising spiritual awareness, building
bridges between people of all faiths and none”.
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