The Online Journalism Awards this year will include a new $5,000 prize recognizing digital journalism that makes a difference to people where they live.

The Knight Award for Public Service will honor the use of journalistic resources, digital techniques and public information that produces compelling coverage of a vital issue and engage a geographic community.

The new award is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The OJAs are administered by the Online News Association and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California.

While the online world allows people to form virtual societies divorced from geographical limitations, this prize acknowledges the power of digital news media to move citizens to improve the physical communities that still define their democracy and their day-to-day lives.

“The Knight Award for Public Service recognizes that great journalism touches people where they live and can be a greater force for good in their lives,” said Gary Kebbel, Knight Journalism Initiatives program officer.

This award complements the rest of the OJA categories, fits the association’s mission and offers an excellent opportunity to its members, said Ruth Gersh, chair of the ONA’s awards committee.

"As more Americans receive their news and information online, it remains critical that online journalism be held to the highest standards of the profession. We are delighted that Knight Foundation continues to support outstanding journalism and look forward to using this award to spotlight the best online journalism that serves its readers and the public at large," Michael Parks, director of the School of Journalism at USC Annenberg, said.

“The Online News Association is pleased to join with two such important forces in American journalism in continuing to define excellence in digital news,” said Michael Silberman, President of the Online News Association. “The support of the Knight Foundation and USC Annenberg for the Online Journalism Awards is a great recognition of the significance of this medium and the work of journalists who have embraced it as a means to tell important stories that impact people's lives.”

The entry period for the Online Journalism Awards runs from May 15 to June 15. Information and category descriptions can be found at www.journalists.org

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation:

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes journalism excellence worldwide and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. One of its signature programs is Journalism Initiatives. Since its creation in 1950, Knight has approved more than $275 million in journalism grants. For more, visit www.knightfdn.org

About the Online News Association:

The Online News Association is an organization composed largely of professional online journalists. It has more than 800 professional members, whose principal livelihood involves gathering or producing news for digital presentation, as well as academic members and others interested in the development of online journalism. For more, visit www.journalists.org

About the Annenberg School for Communication:
Located in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, the USC Annenberg School for Communication is among the nation's leading institutions devoted to the study of journalism and communication, and their impact on politics, culture and society. With an enrollment of more than 1,900 graduate and undergraduate students, USC Annenberg offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in journalism, communication, public diplomacy and public relations. For more information, visit www.annenberg.usc.edu.