2011 Fire Awareness Awards open The 2011 Fire Awareness Awards are now open for entries! Launched by Fire Commissioner Craig Lapsley, the Awards are the only awards of their kind in Victoria, and provide an important opportunity to thank people for their efforts in protecting Victorians from fire. Co-ordinated jointly by DSE, MFB and CFA, the Awards have been running for over 17 years. They are open to anyone who has been involved in a project that helps to make Victorians safer from any kind of fire, whether bushfire or building fire. Projects can be entered in a range of categories that include design and construction, media, new technology, industry and education. At a community level, there are several awards for great work being done on bushfire community preparedness, bushfire recovery work and volunteer work. The entry process is easy - it requires brief descriptions of the project, including why it was undertaken, what it has achieved and who has benefited. There are three very simple ways to enter: - Go to www.fireawarenessawards.com.au - Phone (03) 9412 4465, or - email fire.awards@dse.vic.gov.au Also on offer are a $10,000 RACV Insurance Fire Innovation Grant, and two $2,000 Special Incentive Grants. So if you, or someone you know, has worked on a project that has contributed to fire safety and awareness - enter now! For more information on the awards, or to find out which category your award fits best, visit www.fireawarenessawards.com.au, Download the entry form here Entries now open for young rural journalist award Rural journalists up the age of 35 years can now enter a prestigious national award which will give them the opportunity to attend a gathering of their peers from around the world. The Alltech Australian Young Leaders in Rural Journalism Award is being organised by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ) in association with Alltech Biotechnology Pty Ltd. The winner will attend the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) annual congress in Guelph and Niagara Falls, Ontario, from September 14 to 18, 2011. In a major new initiative coordinated by the IFAJ and sponsored by Alltech, they will also participate in a special three-day 'boot camp' before the main congress. To download flyer, click here To download media release, click here Victorian photographer hits bullseye in national award Warrnambool Standard photographer Steve Hynes is in the running for an international award for his photo of two bulls facing off. Hynes has won the Production Category of the 2011 Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography, with his photo published on January 28, 2010. The prestigious competition is organised by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ), the umbrella body for Australia's five rural press clubs, which each submitted three photos to represent their state in national judging. The judges described Hynes' photo as a standout alongside entries from Michael Petey of The Land and South Australian photographer Mark Brake. Petey's photograph is the overall Australian winner. To download media release, click here Entries closing soon for prestigious Australian rural media awards Entries are closing soon for this year's Australian Star Prize awards for rural writing, photography and broadcasting. Victorian entries must be submitted by COB, Friday 18 March. This year there are two new prizes worth up to $5000 each on offer. The awards recognise news stories and images published, uploaded or broadcast during 2010. Submit Victorian entries to Fiona Davis, via email at fionadavis@curriecom.com.au or post at Currie Communications, Level 4, 180 Albert Rd, South Melbourne 3205. Please use the entry forms available to download below. To download media release, click here To download broadcast entry form, click here To download photography and writing entry form, click here Vale Colin Munro Colin Munro cut a large figure. Physically he was a large man with gingery hair and a ruddy complexion that sprang from his Scottish ancestry. His vibrant personality matched his large frame and he hailed from the old school of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, modelled on the B.B.C. Download Tim Lee's tribute to Colin Major new prizes worth up to $10,000 announced for prestigious Australian rural media awards Entries are now open for this year's Australian Star Prize awards for rural writing, photography and broadcasting, with two new prizes worth up to $5000 each on offer. Thanks to increased sponsorship from major rural lender Rabobank and agribusiness John Deere, winners of the John Deere Australian Star Prize for Rural Writing and the Rabobank Australian Star Prize for Rural Broadcasting will attend the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists Congress in Ontario, Canada this September. Awards organiser, the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists, will also enter category winners for the Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography in the IFAJ Star Prize for Agricultural Photography, with international winners to be announced during the IFAJ Congress. Victorian entries can be submitted to Fiona Davis, via email at fionadavis@curriecom.com.au or post at Currie Communications, Level 4, 180 Albert Rd, South Melbourne 3205. Entries close 18 March. Download the media release Download the Victorian entry form for print, online and photography Download more photography competition details Download the Victorian entry form for broadcasting Registrations closing for Balkan Tour 2011 The Serbian Association of Agricultural Journalists AGROPRESS is organizing a five-day workshop "Balkan Tour 2011 - Serbia" for foreign agricultural journalists and communication specialists from 18 to 23 May. Registrations close 1 March. For more information click here IFAJ Annual congress in Canada (2011) The International Federation of Agriculture Journalists (IFAJ) hosts its annual conference, called a congress, in a different member country every year. In 2011, Canada will be welcoming farm writers and agricultural communicators to our country for the first time in over forty years. The IFAJ 2011 congress will start in Guelph, Ontario - about an hour west of Toronto - then take delegates on tours to different parts of the province before wrapping up with a two day stay in Niagara Falls. Optional add-on tours to Western Canada in advance of the congress and to the Atlantic region after the congress wraps up are also being planned. Click here to sign up for update emails.