You who gave to the Tyee Fellowships Funds created a bit of a headache for three seasoned journalism experts.

The independent panel of judges who chose the Tyee Fellowship recipients had their work cut out for them this time around. More than 60 applications arrived in September and, as one of the judges, Vivian Smith, put it, "The field was packed with excellent proposals, reflecting a lot of legwork, good writing and sheer creativity. We found a lot of the projects relevant and with potential implications for the larger public conversation."

After much careful deliberation the judges decided to award $5,000 Tyee Fellowships to each of the following applicants:

Ashley Akins received a Tyee Fellowship for Solutions Reporting to write about "Alternative Therapy and Empowerment for BC's At-Risk Youth."

Justin Langille received a Tyee Fellowship for Investigative Reporting to probe "What Migrant Farm Workers Want from their Toil in B.C. Fields."

Gabriela Perdomo received a Tyee Fellowship for Solutions Reporting to look into "What British Columbians Can Do to Affect Fair Trade in Fresh Flowers."

Richard Warnica received a Tyee Fellowship for Investigative Reporting to trace the inner workings, and potential failings of B.C.'s remand system.

Jackie Wong received a Tyee Fellowship for Investigative Reporting to uncover the realities of where protection begins and ends for renters in Vancouver.

All five of these independent journalists will now have the opportunity to pursue their ambitious projects because of the generosity of the Tyee community, who last June gave nearly $15,000 to top up our funds and allow our panel to make another round of granting.

A rich tradition

Previous Tyee reader-funded series have broken major stories, empowered citizens, and won national awards. Examples:

A highly influential news-breaking investigative series by Chris Wood: "Rough Weather Ahead: How global warming will hit BC."

A solutions series praised by Aboriginal leaders and widely read, by Sandra Shields: "Reconciling with First Nations: How the 'New Relationship' is faring in the Fraser Valley."

A wildly popular and vigorously debated solutions series by writer and activist Dave Olsen: "No Fares! Time for a free ride on public transit."

Public school teacher Nick Smith's journey to seek out the best education minds and report on "Teaching that Inspires."

Amanda Euringer's empowering series "Toxic Work: Know Your Rights," a finalist this year for a National Magazine Award.

David Tracey's far-ranging coverage of the urban farming revolution in B.C.

Chris Cannon's guide to what you can do to help save the planet by participating in the new sharing economy.

And Jacqueline Windh's series "Native Youth Speak Out," which gave 14 First Nations teenagers an opportunity to share their views on school, alcohol and drugs, family, culture and language.

You can build more opportunities for journalists

For giving their time and expert consideration to this project, we are grateful to the judges, UBC School of Journalism Director Mary Lynn Young, Langara Journalism Professor Ross Howard and nationally known journalist and instructor Vivian Smith. To read their impressive bios, click here. All applications went straight to the judges with no input from Tyee editors or staff, and in cases where the judges had connections to any applicants they recused themselves from voting.

We are grateful, as well, to you who donated. The Tyee Fellowship Funds are 100 per cent funded by charitable-deductible donations from our supportive community.

We accept donations to the Tyee Investigative and Reporting Fellowships Funds on an ongoing basis. If you'd like to learn more about the funds, click here. To make a tax-deductible contribution now, please visit this page for donation information.