In a rare showing of intergovernmental cooperation, the Quebec and Canadian governments will jointly fund a new targeted subsidy to help the journalism industry by providing assistance for journalists filling out the dozens of forms to apply for journalism awards.

“Between the National Newspaper Awards, RTDNA awards, Canadian Association of Journalists awards, Michener Award, Judith Jasmin prizes, and various awards sponsored by industry groups, the process is very time-consuming for journalists,” explained Chantal Fossenohm of the Quebec finance department. “The assistance program we’re proposing takes the arduous task of applying for awards, often including writing essays, out of the hands of journalists so they can focus on doing the work that gets them their next award.”

Under the program, an expert award application filler meets with the journalist, selects stories they believe are award-worthy, and prepares first drafts of any essays or letters that must be included in the application. “If all goes well, the journalist will only have to sign a form and everything else will be taken care of,” Fossenohm said.