The world's largest organisation of digital journalists, Online News Association (ONA) and the University of Miami's School of Communication, has announced the opening of this year's Online Journalism Awards (OJA).

The ONA has made changes to acknowledge new technology, the influence of independent digital journalists and the effort that has been made to increase community reporting, according to a statement on ONA's website.

Changes include the general excellence in online journalism award being expanded to include microsite, while six awards now come with prize money totalling $30,000. The money is courtesy of the Gannett Foundation and the Knight Foundation.

The ONA is calling for entries for the awards based on work first published between June 1 and June 20 2009.

Categories include awards for technical innovation, public service, breaking news, speciality site journalism, investigative journalism, blogging, student journalism and online video journalism.
 
The winners are selected through a two-step process. First, a group of more than 100 journalists screen and rank the entries, before a panel of industry-leading journalists and new media professionals judge the finalists and select winners at the University of Miami.

To submit your entry, click here and complete the form before June 30.

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