Real estate journalists name fellows, new competition category

The National Association of Real Estate Editors awarded Bivins Fellowships to two mid-career journalists and unveiled a new category for its upcoming 59th annual competition.

The winners of the NAREE Bivins Fellowship, named during the NAREE Summit in Orlando on Nov. 7, are freelance writer Lisa Prevost and Jeff Ostrowski, a real estate and business reporter for the Palm Beach Post.

The $5,000 NAREE Bivins Fellowship Program, now in its seventh year, is named in honor of veteran journalist Ralph Bivins, editor of RealtyNewsReport.com. Bivins, a NAREE past president and award-winning journalist, has volunteered thousands of hours directing several NAREE conferences and professional development programs.

Professor George Harmon of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University judged the Bivins Fellowship applications. He said: “Lisa Prevost, a contributor to the New York Times, Boston Globe and other publications, has proved herself to be a lively writer and reporter who can produce stories that catch readers’ attention.” Prevost will use the fellowship funds to help underwrite research on a book about a housing development trend sapping the New England economy.

Ostrowski will use the Bivins Fellowship for in-depth studies in financial analysis. Harmon said: “This would give Ostrowski some added expertise in deconstructing financial statements. Many business reporters are finding that courses offered by the profession of financial analysis are a valuable tool for enterprise reporting.”

NAREE Chairman of the Board Ken Harney of the Washington Post Writers Group introduced the “Best Investigative Report or Series” category for NAREE’s 59th Annual Real Estate Journalism Competition. Competition cash awards totaling $9,000 in 30 categories include a $1,500 award for “Best Individual Entry” and a $500 Award for “Best Freelance Collection.”

Entry forms are available on www.naree.org. Deadline to enter is Feb 20, 2009. Awards will be given at NAREE’s 43rd Journalism Conference in Washington, D.C., June 18-21, 2009.