There are four DJA categories awarded at both big media and small media levels, giving out a total of eight prizes. A special prize will also be given to "The public Choice", the project which will get the most votes on the Data Journalism Awards website between 27 April and 1 June 2013. The four categories are as follows:

 

1. Data-driven investigative journalism: using data to uncover facts
2. Data storytelling (text, visualisation, video…)
3. Data-driven applications (mobile or web): serving data to your public
4. Data journalism website or section

1. Data-driven investigative journalism: using data to uncover facts

This category reward is given to an outstanding example of investigative journalism powered by data. The work should cover matters relevant to society and should aim to have results or an impact on a societal level. The work should show excellence in all stages of production and presentation. More specifically, the jury seeks excellence in storytelling, editorial work and efforts to enable an engaging user experience. Consideration will be given to the resources and techniques used.

To be eligible for this category one or several datasets must be used as resources. A combination of sources and methods may be used (e.g. interviews with experts, policy makers, etc.) but the interrogation of datasets is required to play a significant role in the production process. All works may be presented and delivered in the form of written text, graphics, tables or a combination of the three. The jury will also pay attention to how the story was produced with regards to resources and techniques.

2. Data storytelling (text, visualisation, video…)

This category reward is given to an exceptional example of the use of storytelling to put data into context in pieces that provide insight into complex matters that are relevant to society. This category include text pieces interpreting datasets, video works, use of data visualisations (static or interactive) including maps,  and any other form of innovative way to present data to inform. The work should aim to have results or an impact on a societal level. Consideration will be given to the types of resources and techniques used.

3. Data-driven applications (mobile or web): serving data to your public

This category reward is given to the best illustration of the sharing of one or more datasets of public importance with an audience in a format that enables easy insight as well as simple navigation and reuse.

Whether it is cleaned data in a spreadsheet or a service or application built on top of data, the work must cover matters relevant to society and must aim to have results or an impact on a societal level. Whereas in the first category high quality original reporting is rewarded, in this category the jury will reward different ways of serving data that enables anyone to gain insight that is relevant to their community or create their own narratives based on it. Consideration will be given to the resources and techniques used.

 

4. Data journalism website or section

This category reward is given to a media organisation demonstrating exceptional support to the field of data journalism through a dedicated website or section of its day to day news production. The jury will not reward here the excellence of single pieces, but the consistency of a global strategy towards Data journalism, and the quality of data journalism content in the long run.