Jack Webster Foundation announces new Shelley Fralic Award

The Jack Webster Foundation is pleased to announce that nominations are now being accepted for a new award — the Shelley Fralic Award.  This award honours the legacy of its namesake, Shelley Fralic, who died in 2021.  Ms. Fralic was a trustee of the Jack Webster Foundation, a journalist, and a champion of the media. She was a mentor to young journalists, and a newsroom leader whose commitment to social justice for the most vulnerable made a difference to the lives of many impoverished children. 

This new award celebrates a B.C. journalist, who identifies as a woman, and exemplifies Shelley’s legacy as a journalist concerned with making her community a better place. In choosing the recipient of the Shelley Fralic Award the judges, who all identify as women, will consider the impact the nominee has, both through their commitment to journalism, and through their commitment to their communities. View the 2022 jury members here.

The online nomination form, along with details about eligibility, is now accessible here. Nominations are to be made by someone other than the nominee.  The nomination must include: 

• A 50-word précis explaining why the nominee merits consideration for the award.

• The nominee’s current resume.
• A synopsis of no more than 500 words, outlining the candidate’s attributes and accomplishments as a journalist, and their accomplishments and impact on their communities, the people, and the world around them.
• Two letters of support from people who endorse the nominee for this award, including contact information of each person, their phone number and email address.

“We are so pleased to announce this new award and honour our beloved friend and trustee of the Jack Webster Foundation, the late Shelley Fralic,” said Joy Jennissen, Chair of the Jack Webster Foundation.  “Shelley was a consummate journalist, a fierce champion of the media, and staunch defender of the fundamental right to free expression. She was a trailblazer in the newsroom at a time when most newsroom leaders were men, and she understood more than most the challenges of competing on a playing field that was never really level,” added Ms. Jennissen.  

Nominations are now being accepted until the deadline of midnight PT on July 3, 2022 and will be kept for consideration for three years.  The recipient of the award, who will be announced this fall, will be honoured with a trophy and will be celebrated during the annual 2022 Webster Awards, the date of which is yet to be announced.