Winnipeg Free Press education reporter Nick Martin is the latest recipient of CAUT's national award for journalistic excellence.

Martin was presented with the Award for Excellence in Post-secondary Education Journalism at the 54th annual CAUT Council meeting in May.

Martin, the beat writer since 1997, won in the professional category for his series of articles highlighting the University of Winnipeg's precarious financial situation.

Zach Dubinsky, a student intern at the Montreal Gazette, won the CAUT award for journalistic excellence in the student category for his article "McGill shrugged - Ayn Rand chair in philosophy not for us, university says," (Montreal Gazette, July 27, 2002).

The awards were established in 2001 and are presented each year to two Canadian journalists who best exemplify excellence in the coverage of post-secondary education issues in the student media and outstanding reporting in the professional print and broadcast media. Each award is worth $500.

Faculty associations, media organizations and other interested parties nominate journalists for the awards. Submissions are judged on the basis of relevance, originality, quality of investigation and research, potential impact on policy makers and the fulfilment of professional standards of journalism.

Jurors Catherine McKercher, of Carleton University's school of journalism, Mike Gasher, of Concordia University's school of journalism, and York University communications professor David Skinner screened and judged the entries for the 2002 awards.