The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents.[1] The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain an international association of journalists working in the United States and abroad, to encourage the highest standards of professional integrity and skill in the reporting of news, to help educate a new generation of journalists, to contribute to the freedom and independence of journalists and the press throughout the world, and to work toward better communication and understanding among people. The organization has approximately 500 members who are media industry leaders.
Every April, the OPC holds a dinner to award excellence in journalism for the previous year. The awards are juried by industry peers. The organization also has a foundation that distributes scholarships to college students who want to begin a career as foreign correspondents. Many winners secure international assignments at some of the most prestigious news outlets in the world.
In April 2008, the OPC relaunched its website to include community features for members like forums, commenting, page sharing through email/print/download, and RSVP and bill pay functions.
, there are 22 awards presented:[2]
| Award | Given For | Year First | Last Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell Thomas Award | Best radio news or interpretation of international affairs | 1947 | ||
| George Polk Award | Best reporting requiring exceptional courage and enterprise abroad | 1948 | 1973 | |
| Robert Capa Gold Medal Award | Best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise | 1955 | ||
| Ed Cunningham Award | Best magazine reporting from abroad | 1955 | ||
| Mary Hemingway Award | Best magazine reporting from abroad. Mary Welsh Hemingway was a journalist | 1955 | 1983 | |
| Cornelius Ryan Award | Best non-fiction book on international affairs. Cornelius Ryan was a journalist and author. | 1957 | ||
| Ed Stout Award | Best reporting in any medium on Latin America | 1959 | 1974 | |
| Ben Grauer Award | Best radio spot news from abroad | 1960 | 1994 | |
| Thomas Nast Award | Best cartoons on international affairs | 1968 | ||
| President's Award | Distinguished service in the field of journalism | 1968 | 2009 | |
| Madeline Dane Ross Award | Best international reporting in the print medium showing a concern for the human condition | 1973 | ||
| Bob Considine Award | Best newspaper or news service interpretation of international affairs | 1975 | ||
| Hal Boyle Award | Best newspaper or news service reporting from abroad, after Hal Boyle | 1977 | ||
| Edward R. Murrow Award | Best TV interpretation or documentary on international affairs | 1978 | ||
| David Kaplan Award | Best TV spot news reporting from abroad | 1980 | ||
| Olivier Rebbot Award | Best photographic reporting from abroad in magazines or books | 1980 | ||
| Malcolm Forbes Award | Best business reporting from abroad in newspapers or news services | 1983 | ||
| Morton Frank Award | Best business reporting from abroad in magazines | 1984 | ||
| Eric & Amy Burger Award | Best international reporting in the broadcast media dealing with human rights | 1984 | 2004 | |
| Carl Spielvogel Award | Best international reporting in the broadcast media showing a concern for the human condition | 1991 | ||
| Whitman Bassow Award | Best reporting in any medium on international environmental issues | 1992 | ||
| John Faber Award | Best photographic reporting from abroad in newspapers or news services | 1994 | ||
| Robert Spiers Benjamin Award | Best reporting in any medium on Latin America. Robert Spiers Benjamin was a founding member of the club. | 1997 | ||
| Joe & Laurie Dine Award | Best international reporting in any medium dealing with human rights | 1998 | ||
| Artyom Borovik Award | Outstanding reporting by a Russian journalist who displays courage, insight, balanced yet aggressive reporting, and independence of thought | 2000 | 2007 | |
| Feature Photography Award | Best feature photography published in any medium on an international theme | 2004 | ||
| Online Journalism | Best web coverage of international affairs | 2008 | 2009 | |
| General Excellence Online | Best overall international coverage on a web site: how the site maximizes the multimedia capabilities of the web to cover key issues, how coverage goes beyond other platforms and brings the story to its readers | 2010 | ||
| Best Online Coverage of Breaking News | Best online coverage throughout a 72-hour period of a breaking news event | 2010 | ||
| Best Use of Multimedia | Best use of techniques such as interactive graphics, Flash and slideshows to report on international news or developments | 2010 | ||
| Best Online Investigation of an International Issue or Event | Best original or exclusive reporting for a news web site that provides new insights into an event or trend of international significance | 2010 | ||
| Best Use of Video | Excellence in original video on an international topic created specifically for a news web site | 2010 | ||
| Best Online Commentary (including Blogs) | Best international affairs commentary or blog | 2010 |