The Edward Goff Penny Memorial Prizes for Young Canadian Journalists were established in 1991 at the bequest of the estate of the late Arthur G. Penny, grandson of Edward Goff Penny. The first awards were presented in 1992.
Arthur G. Penny, a former newspaper editor in the early 1920s with the old Quebec Chronicle and later a Quebec civil servant, died in 1963. In his last will and testament, he left provisions that, upon the death of his wife and son, two prizes for young journalists should be established in memory of his grandfather, Edward Goff Penny.
The Hon. Edward Goff Penny rose from the position of reporter at the Montreal Herald in the late 1800s to editor and publisher. He was the first president of the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa and in 1874 became the first newspaper reporter to be appointed to the Senate.
The winners are in keeping with the terms of the bequest - between the ages 20 and 25 and from each of two daily newspaper circulation categories: under 25,000 and over 25,000. Prize money is $1,500 for each category.
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Toronto Star reporter Jesse McLean has been selected as the recipient of the 21st annual Hon. Edward Goff Penny Memorial Prize for Young Canadian Journalists.
McLean impressed the judges with a series of ambitious articles that ranged from local investigations to in-depth foreign reporting. His submissions saw him exposing nearly $2.5 million in unauthorized spending at City Hall, filing a dozen Freedom of Information requests to uncover the truth behind missing police weapons and gaining an exclusive interview with an imprisoned revolutionary in Kuwait as part of the Star’s Arab Awakening series.
In McLean’s entry package, Toronto Star politics editor Colin MacKenzie praised the 24-year-old reporter for his tenacity and his commitment to the field of journalism. “He has been a remarkable force in our newsroom since he arrived in August 2008…writing and reporting with sophistication and diligence.”
The judging, which was based on works published in 2011, was done by three senior newspaper editors selected by Newspapers Canada. The judges did not award a prize in the 25,000 and under circulation category for the 2011 competition.
McLeanwill be awarded the Goff Penny Memorial Prize at a special luncheon event on Friday, April 27 during the INK+BEYOND conference in Toronto.
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Under 25,000 circulation:
Over 25,000 circulation:
Please email info@newspaperscanada.ca if you have any questions regarding the awards.
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