The Maria Moors Cabot Prizes are the oldest international awards in the field of

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

. They are presented each fall by the Trustees of

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

to journalists in the Western hemisphere who are viewed as having made a significant contributions to upholding freedom of the press in the Americas and Inter-American understanding. Since 2003, the prize can be awarded to an organization instead of an individual.

History

The American Boston industrialist and philanthropist,

Godfrey Lowell Cabot Godfrey Lowell Cabot (February 26, 1861 – November 2, 1962) was an American industrialist who founded the Cabot Corporation. Early life Godfrey Lowell Cabot was born in Boston, Massachusetts and attended Boston Latin School. His father was Sa ...

, who founded the

Cabot Corporation Cabot Corporation is an American specialty chemicals and performance materials company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company operates in over 20 countries with 36 manufacturing plants, eight research and development facilities and ...

and was also a major benefactor of both MIT and Harvard, where the general science library is named in his honor, established the Maria Moors Cabot Prizes in 1938, in memory of his wife. The prizes have been awarded annually since 1939, by the

Trustees Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, refers to anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the ...

in the City of New York, on recommendation of the dean of the

Graduate School of Journalism Graduate may refer to: Education * The subject of a graduation, i.e. someone awarded an academic degree ** Alumni, a former student who has either attended or graduated from an institution * High school graduate, someone who has completed high ...

and the Cabot Prize Board, which is composed of journalists and educators.

Board

The awards board consists of the following persons: Tracy Wilkinson, from the ''Los Angeles Times'' where she covered the Iraq War, among others. Carlos Dada, Salvadoran journalist, founder and director of ''El Faro''. He won the Maria Moors Cabot Prize in 2011. John Dinges, The Godfrey Lowell Cabot Professor of Journalism at Columbia University is an author and journalist specializing in Latin America. He received a Maria Moors Cabot Prizes medal in 1992. Juan Enriquez Cabot, Authority on economic and political impacts of life sciences. Best-selling author; speaker; investor/co-founder in multiple start up companies; board member for both private and public companies/non-profits. Former founding Director of Life Sciences Project at Harvard Business School. June Carolyn Erlick, editor-in-chief of ''ReVista'', the Harvard Review of Latin America. Gustavo Gorritti, Peruvian journalist, the founder of lDL Reporteros. He is a recipient of a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University and a winner of the Maria Moors Cabot Prize in 1992 and the FNPI Gabriel García Marquez award. Expert in Peruvian internal war and anti corruption investigation. Carlos Lauría, Americas Program Coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists. Julia Preston, national correspondent for ''The New York Times''. Preston received a Maria Moors Cabot Prize in 1997. María Teresa Ronderos, Serves as Director of ''VerdadAbierta''.com. Ronderos is an editorial advisor to ''Semana''. She received the King of Spain Ibero-American Award in 1997 and received a Maria Moors Cabot Prize in 2007. Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

Recipients

Three to four medalists from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

are selected each year. Prize winners receive the Cabot medal and a $5,000 honorarium, plus travel expenses to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and hotel accommodations for the presentation ceremony. As of 2014, 273 Cabot gold medals and 56 special citations have been awarded to journalists from more than 30 countries in the Americas.

Ceremony

The winners of the award are announced between May and July, and the prizes are presented by the

President of Columbia University The president of Columbia University is the chief executive of Columbia University in New York City. The position was created in 1754 by the original royal charter for the university, issued by George II, and the power to appoint the president w ...

each fall, at a ceremony in the rotunda of

Low Memorial Library The Low Memorial Library (nicknamed Low) is a building at the center of Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus in Upper Manhattan in New York City. The building, located near 116th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, w ...

Yoani Sánchez case

In 2009, 34-year-old Cuban writer

Yoani Sánchez Yoani María Sánchez Cordero (born September 4, 1975) is a Cuban blogger who has achieved international fame and multiple international awards for her critical portrayal of life in Cuba under its current government. Sánchez attended primary ...

became the first blogger to win the Maria Moors Cabot Prize. The award was given for her blog, ''Generación Y'', which contained much criticism of the Cuban regime. Sánchez was denied an exit visa to travel to New York to receive her prize.

References

External links

*{{Official website American journalism awards Awards established in 1938 Awards and prizes of Columbia University Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism