In January, registration will be open to nominate candidates for the IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders program, which recognizes outstanding young journalists and communicators who demonstrate great potential to become leaders in our industry.
As every year, each IFAJ member guild will be able to present a nominee for this prestigious program, which includes participation in a leadership and skills training Boot Camp in the days leading up to the IFAJ 2024 Annual Congress in Interlaken, Switzerland, which will be held August 14 to 18, 2024. In addition, Alltech will also pay Congress registration fees for Young Leaders.
Young journalists who are 35 years old or younger as of December 31, 2024 are eligible for nomination. Participants will be selected by an international jury for the award.
The IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders Award was established in 2006 by IFAJ and Alltech to recognize emerging leaders in agricultural journalism and communications from around the world.
“Alltech is proud to partner with IFAJ to support the Young Leaders program, as we all share a commitment to supporting journalists who give voice to farmers and producers and ensure that agriculture stories continue to be told around the world,” says Jenn Norrie, North American and European Communications Manager at Alltech.
“After the successful new format of the Young Leaders program implemented in Canada, we are going for more, because we are convinced that the Young Leaders program contributes to educating and training promising new professionals in global agricultural journalism, offering them essential tools for their professional development,” says Addy Rossi, IFAJ secretary-general.
The online application will be available at ifaj.org/our-programmes/young-leaders/, and applications will be due by February 16, 2024. Each IFAJ member guild in good standing can nominate one journalist for consideration.
Applications must include three work samples. Nominees must be willing to attend the Congress and the Boot Camp. The Boot Camp will be held in English. For details and rules, click here.
Bianca Blasl, a 2023 Young Leader from Austria (in hat) and 2022 Young Leader Becky Zimmer (white shirt) report from a Canadian feedlot during last year’s Boot Camp program.