The Council to Homeless Persons, the peak body for homelessness services in Victoria, have launched an awards program with the support of the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation.

Stories told by writers and reporters are vital in changing public perceptions of homelessness. The Victorian Homelessness Media Awards recognise and encourage outstanding, responsive and respectful reporting in relation to homelessness and related social issues of family violence, mental health, the justice system and poverty.

Entry is free and there is a $6,500 prize pool up for grabs across four categories:

-          Breaking news / short deadline

-          Longform and investigative journalism

-          Opinion, comment and analysis

-          Student journalist / emerging journalist

Entries will be assessed by a panel of senior working journalists from the Age, the Herald Sun, ABC, The Guardian and 3AW.

The awards aim to attract stories about all forms of homelessness (not just rough sleeping) and the issues that drive it – people forced to live in rooming houses, women fleeing family violence who have nowhere to go, how the rising cost of rent is affecting families, declining levels of social housing, people on Centrelink incomes who can’t find anywhere to rent.

Applications are open from 22 April to 23 August 2019. For more information visit the CHP media awards page or contact the program coordinator at lanie@chp.org.au.