Deadline March 1: Nominations for the Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement
Visit magazine-awards.com/oa for more information.
Final National Magazine Awards deadline is January 16
Wednesday January 16 is the final deadline for entries to the 36th annual National Magazine Awards. Register online and complete the application process, then get all your required tear sheets, copies and forms to our office no later than Wednesday at 5pm.
Check out the categories, rules and frequently asked questions before you submit.
Go to magazine-awards.com for more information and to login and submit your entries.
Finalists will be announced on May 1, and the 36th annual National Magazine Awards gala is June 7.
Tips for getting your National Magazine Award submissions in on time
[This post has been updated] The Early-Bird submissions deadline for the 2012 National Magazine Awards is Friday, January 11, 2013 at 5pm MIDNIGHT Eastern Time — in other words, very soon.
If you’re just getting started or worried that you won’t get everything in on time, here are a couple of quick tips:
1. Submit low- or medium-resolution PDFs. All entries require PDFs, but if you’re submitting a host of entries and trying to upload hi-res PDFs for each, it will take longer for you to complete steps 1 and 2 of the 4-step submissions process. Save valuable time by preparing PDFs with a smaller file size. Don’t worry about what to name your PDF file, as our system will automatically rename your file to match your Entry Form number.
2. Verify your Paypal account. If you choose to pay by credit card in Step 2, you will be forwarded to the Paypal site to enter your credit card information. Occasionally for payments larger than $1000 Paypal will hold the payment for verification if you don’t already have a pre-verified Paypal account associated with your credit card. If Paypal won’t process your payment due to an unverified account, you may return to Step 2 and select the option to pay by cheque.
3. Estimate the transit time. Your hard copies do not have to reach us by Friday to be eligible for the Early-Bird rate, but don’t delay. All required hard copies must reach our office by the final deadline of Wednesday, January 16 or your entries will not be accepted.
4. Don’t forget our new address. We’ve moved since last year. All hard-copy material should be couriered to our new address at:
National Magazine Awards Foundation
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 3500
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8
5. Send your cheque next week. If you’ve elected to pay by cheque but your company can’t issue it in time, you should still submit all your hard-copy material by the deadline, with a note on your Master Form stating that the cheque will follow. When you send your cheque next week please staple it to an extra copy of your Master Form. Payment must be received by January 25 or your entries may be disqualified.
6. Relax. If you’ve done everything right, completed the online forms and sent your hard-copy material in, don’t worry about a thing. We cannot verify that we’ve received your submission until after the deadline. Rest assured, if you don’t hear from us by the week following the deadline then you did a perfect job and your submission was received in good order.
Deadline Week at the National Magazine Awards
The Early-Bird submissions deadline for the 2012 National Magazine Awards is this Friday, January 11 at 5pm Eastern Time. If you plan to submit this year, you must complete the online application form for each of your entries (you must upload a PDF version of your entry), and pay the required fees.
Your hard copies, where required, do NOT have to arrive by Friday to be eligible for the Early-Bird rate, but they must arrive no later than the final deadline of Wednesday, January 16.
Submissions received after Wednesday, January 16 will not be accepted.
Check out the categories, rules and frequently asked questions before you submit.
Go to magazine-awards.com for more information and to login and submit your entries.
A Brief Guide to entering Digital Content in the National Magazine Awards
The National Magazine Awards are open to content from all Canadian consumer magazines, whether they are published in print, online or in a tablet edition.
[Version française ici]
Where previously we distinguished between Print and Digital Magazines, this year we are further clarifying the difference between three types of magazine publishing:
- Print Magazine
- Magazine Website (companion site or online-only magazine)
- Tablet Magazine
Most categories are open to content from any of these types, though specific categories have certain restrictions. For all clarifications, see the list of categories and rules and eligibility.
There is now a Special Award for each of these three types:
- Magazine of the Year
- Magazine Website of the Year
- Tablet Magazine of the Year
A single publication may enter any and all of these 3 special categories if they meet the eligibility and category criteria.
CATEGORIES EXCLUSIVELY FOR DIGITAL CREATIONS
There are six categories open exclusively to content from either Magazine Websites or Tablet Magazines, or both:
Blogs: This written category is open to a regular series of original written content produced by a Magazine Website that has a recognizable unifying voice or theme. Entries may consist of up to ten (10) blog posts by one or more authors.
Online Video: This integrated category is open to a single video produced by a Magazine Website or Tablet Magazine.
Magazine Website Design (formerly Best Digital Design): This visual category will reward a Magazine Website with the most successful and original overall combination of visual and graphic design elements with functionality and user experience.
Editorial Package—Web (formerly Best Multimedia Feature): This integrated category is open to any original package of related or thematic editorial content produced by a Magazine Website that best serves its intended audience by maximizing the potential of web-based publishing, and that reflects collaboration by editors and content creators. Elements may include but are not limited to written content, blogs, video, photography, data visualization, illustration, social media and user-generated content.
Tablet Magazine of the Year: This special category is open to any single issue of a Tablet Magazine that successfully fulfills its editorial mission by representing the highest journalistic standards and effectively serving its intended audience by maximizing the possibilities afforded by the medium of tablet publishing.
Magazine Website of the Year: This special category is open to any Magazine Website that successfully fulfills its editorial mission by representing the highest journalistic standards and effectively serving its intended audience by maximizing the possibilities afforded by the medium of web-based publishing.
ENTERING DIGITAL CONTENT IN OTHER CATEGORIES
Except where noted in specific category restrictions, content from Magazine Websites and Tablet Magazines is eligible in all National Magazine Awards categories.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Check out our Digital FAQ for more information about how we define digital magazines, how to submit content from tablet editions, how the judging process works, and more.
ABOUT THE PROCESS
Each year the National Magazine Awards Foundation conducts surveys, solicits feedback and hosts round-table discussions with key stakeholders in order to ensure that our awards program is in tune with developments in the Canadian magazine industry.
Any changes that are made to the program reflect the consideration of numerous experts from relevant fields as well as the Judging Committee and Board of Directors of the NMAF.
The NMAF is grateful to those who volunteered their time to provide us with feedback and sit on our 2012 Digital Round Table and other committees.
With any additional questions please feel free to contact us.
Visit magazine-awards.com to submit. The deadline is January 16, 2013.
Call for Submissions: 36th annual National Magazine Awards
The National Magazine Awards Foundation is searching for the best in Canadian magazine publishing from 2012 for the 36th annual National Magazine Awards. Submissions are being accepted at magazine-awards.com.
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The competition is open to all Canadian content creators of Canadian consumer magazines—print, web and tablet—for awards in 48 written, visual, integrated and special categories.
Magazines and freelancers are invited to submit their work. The deadline is January 16, 2013. (The early-bird deadline—with discounted entry fees—is January 11).
[ Categories ] [ Eligibility & Rules ] [ FAQ ] [ Submit now ]
What’s New This Year? Three new categories celebrate excellence in digital content creation:
- Blogs
- Online Videos
- Tablet Edition of the Year
Changes have been made to several other existing categories as well, including:
- Editorial Package—Web
- Magazine Website Design
- Magazine Website of the Year
This year almost all National Magazine Awards categories are open to submissions from Magazine Websites and Tablet Magazines in addition to Print Magazines. See the list of categories for more information.
Read more about What’s New This Year before you submit your entries.
Don’t forget our new address: For the past 10 years you’ve sent your NMA submissions hard copies to us at Adelaide Street in Toronto. But this year we have a new address, so be sure to note it before you send in your submissions:
National Magazine Awards Foundation
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 3500
Toronto, ON
M4W 1A8
6 things you should read before entering the National Magazine Awards
The submissions process for the 36th annual National Magazine Awards opens on December 1. Whether you’re new to the NMAs or you’ve been with us for 35 years, here are six things you should read before you enter your submissions this year:
- The NMAF’s Eligibility & Rules for magazines and individuals;
- The List of Categories — There are 48 categories this year, including 3 new ones;
- The NMAF’s Frequently Asked Questions (updated since last year);
- What’s New — A complete list of changes to this year’s program approved by the NMAF board of directors in consultation with members of the magazine industry;
- The Canadian magazine industry Code of Reader & Advertiser Engagement;
- The NMA Archives — Unsure about which category to enter your work? Review the nominees and winners from previous years.
On or after December 1, visit magazine-awards.com to enter your submissions. The deadline for all entries in hand is January 16. The early bird deadline–for discounted submission fees–is January 11.
All About Co-Financing: Discounted NMA Submissions Fees
The submissions process for the 36th annual National Magazine Awards opens on December 1. On that date, the NMAF will begin accepting applications for Co-financing. [Version française ici]
The deadline to submit Co-financing applications is Friday December 14.
What is Co-financing? It is a NMAF partial subsidy of the cost of entering the awards. It is available to small publications with less than $250,000 in total revenue.
There are two levels of Co-financing available: one for publications with under 20,000 circulation; another for even smaller publications with under 2000 circulation.
How does one apply? Applicants must download and complete the application form and return it to the NMAF by December 14 along with a confirmation of circulation (either an AAM or CCAB audited statement, or a copy of the magazine’s most recent print-run confirmation). The application must indicate how many submissions the magazine plans to enter, though the magazine does not have to enter its submissions by December 14.
There is no limit to the number of submissions that Co-financing applicants can enter. All successful applicants will be approved for Co-financing of a minimum of three submissions (unless they’ve indicated they will only submit one or two). As the NMAF has limited resources for Co-financing, successful applicants indicating they plan to enter more than three submissions will be approved for Co-financing on the remainder of their stated submissions on a first come, first served basis until the NMAF reaches its funding cap.
What happens next? The NMAF will notify all successful applicants by email no later than December 20, indicating how many submissions are approved for Co-financing. Applicants will have until the submissions deadline of January 16, 2013 to enter their submissions.
Magazines that have been approved for Co-financing must pay their submissions fees in full when they submit. The Co-financing will be disbursed as a refund once all submissions are received and verified; not later than March 1, 2013.
Co-financing applications are available here.
What’s New This Year at the National Magazine Awards
Each year the National Magazine Awards Foundation conducts surveys, solicits feedback and hosts round-table discussions with key stakeholders in order to ensure that our awards program is in tune with developments in the Canadian magazine industry. Any changes that are made to the program reflect the consideration of numerous experts from relevant fields as well as the Judging Committee and Board of Directors of the NMAF. The NMAF is grateful to those who volunteered their time to provide us with feedback and sit on our 2012 Digital Round Table and other committees.
The following changes have been approved by the NMAF Board of Directors for the 2012 awards year. [Version française ici]
1. NEW CATEGORIES
- Blogs: This written category is open to a regular series of original written content produced by a Magazine Website that has a recognizable unifying voice or theme. Entries may consist of up to ten (10) blog posts by one or more authors.
- Online Video: This integrated category is open to a single video produced by a Magazine Website or Tablet Magazine.
- Tablet Magazine of the Year: This special category is open to any single issue of a Tablet Magazine that successfully fulfills its editorial mission by representing the highest journalistic standards and effectively serving its intended audience by maximizing the possibilities afforded by the medium of tablet publishing.
2. MODIFIED CATEGORIES
Magazine of the Year—Digital is now known as Magazine Website of the Year. [Read definition]
Best Digital Design is now known as Magazine Website Design. [Read definition]
Best Multimedia Feature has been reconfigured as Editorial Package—Web. This award is open to any original package of related or thematic editorial content produced by a Magazine Website that best serves its intended audience by maximizing the potential of web-based publishing, and that reflects collaboration by editors and content creators. Elements may include but are not limited to written content, blogs, video, photography, data visualization, illustration, social media and user-generated content.
3. CLARIFICATION OF TERMINOLOGY
Generally speaking the National Magazine Awards are open to content from all Canadian consumer magazines, whether they are published in print, online or in a tablet edition. Where previously we distinguished between Print and Digital Magazines, this year we are further clarifying the difference between three types of magazine publishing:
- Print Magazine
- Magazine Website (companion site or online-only magazine)
- Tablet Magazine
Most categories are open to content from any of these types, though specific categories have certain restrictions. For all clarifications, see the list of categories, rules and eligibility, and frequently asked questions.
There is now a Special Award for each of these three types:
- Magazine of the Year
- Magazine Website of the Year
- Tablet Magazine of the Year
A single publication may enter any and all of these categories if they meet the eligibility and category criteria.
4. HALF THE PHOTOCOPIES
This year, submissions in Written Categories require only 3 sets of photocopies (plus 1 set of original tear sheets) instead of 6. As usual all entries require a PDF version of the submission in addition to hard copies.
5. NEW ADDRESS
For the past 10 years you’ve sent your NMA submissions hard copies to us at Adelaide Street in Toronto. But this year we have a new address, so be sure to note it before you send in your submissions:
National Magazine Awards Foundation
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 3500
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8
Important dates for the 36th annual National Magazine Awards
The NMAF Board of Directors has approved the following key dates for the awards program of the 36th annual National Magazine Awards:
- December 1: Call for submissions
- December 14: Co-financing deadline
- January 11: Early-Bird submissions deadline
- January 16: Final submissions deadline
- March 1: Outstanding Achievement deadline
- May 1: Nominations announcement
- June 7: 36th annual NMA gala
Stay with us at our blog, newsletter, twitter and facebook for updates along the way.
Late Fee Deadline Today
Today, January 16, is the late-fee deadline for the National Magazine Awards. Entries may still be entered online until 5pm Eastern Time. All submissions arriving today as well as those that arrived after last Friday’s main deadline will be assessed a $25 late fee per entry. Submissions arriving after 5pm today will not be accepted.
Thank you for your participation in the 35th anniversary National Magazine Awards.
Tips for getting your NMA submissions in on time
[This post has been updated] The submissions deadline for the 2011 National Magazine Awards is Friday, January 13, 2012 at 5pm Eastern Time — in other words, very soon.
If you’re just getting started or worried that you won’t get everything in on time, here are a couple of quick tips:
1. Submit low- or medium-resolution PDFs. All entries require PDFs, but if you’re submitting a host of entries and trying to upload hi-res PDFs for each, it will take longer for you to complete steps 1 and 2 of the 4-step submissions process. Save valuable time by preparing PDFs with a smaller file size. UPDATE: Don’t worry about what to name your PDF file, as our system will automatically rename your file to match your Entry Form number.
2. Verify your Paypal account. If you choose to pay by credit card in Step 2, you will be forwarded to the Paypal site to enter your credit card information. Occasionally for payments larger than $1000 Paypal will hold the payment for verification if you don’t already have a pre-verified Paypal account associated with your credit card. If Paypal won’t process your payment due to an unverified account, you may return to Step 2 and select the option to pay by cheque.
3. Estimate the transit time. Don’t forget, your hard copies must reach our office by 5pm on Friday, so if you are not in Toronto you should prepare to send your hard-copy material by a reliable overnight courier service if the deadline is getting close. Even if you are in Toronto, make sure you give yourself or your courier plenty of time to reach our office. If your entries don’t get to us by 5pm on Friday, or if they arrive over the weekend or on Monday Jan 16, you will be assessed a late fee of $25 per entry.
4. Send your cheque next week. If you’ve elected to pay by cheque but your company can’t issue it in time, you should still submit all your hard-copy material by the deadline, with a note on your Master Form stating that the cheque will follow. When you send your cheque next week please staple it to an extra copy of your Master Form. Payment must be received by Friday January 20 or your entries may be disqualified.
5. Relax. If you’ve done everything right, completed the online forms and sent your hard-copy material in, don’t worry about a thing. We cannot verify that we’ve received your submission until after the deadline. Rest assured, if you don’t hear from us by the week following the deadline then you did a perfect job and your submission was received in good order.
Deadline week at the National Magazine Awards
The submissions deadline for the 2011 National Magazine Awards is this Friday, January 13 at 5pm Eastern Time. If you plan to submit this year, you must complete the online application form for each of your entries (you must upload a PDF version of your entry), pay the required fees, and get all required hard-copy material to our office by Friday at 5pm.
Any entries that arrive after 5pm on Friday and up until Monday, January 16 will be assessed a $25 late fee per entry. Submissions will not be accepted after 5pm on Monday January 16.
Check out the categories, rules and frequently asked questions before you submit.
Also this week, a couple of other awards programs have deadlines:
The 2nd annual Canadian Hillman Prize for Investigative Reporting (deadline is today, Jan 9).
The National Newspaper Awards of Canada (deadline is tomorrow, Jan 10)
Why should young writers and artists enter the NMAs?
Liam Casey, winner of the 2011 award for Best New Magazine Writer, accepts his award on stage at the NMA Gala.
[This post has been updated for 2012]
Few moments at the annual National Magazine Awards gala are as satisfying as discovering which talented up-and-comers are named Canada’s Best New Magazine Writer and Best New Visual Creator. Submissions in these categories are open to students as well as young magazine writers, illustrators and photographers whose early work in Canadian magazines shows the highest degree of craft and promise.
The competition is open to work published during 2012 in either print or digital Canadian magazines. Individuals may enter their own work (see the full requirements here), but editors, art directors and teachers are encouraged to nominate the talented young writers and artists they’ve worked with, even discovered.
Here are just a few reasons we think you might want to enter:
1. It’s only $25 (plus HST) to enter these two categories; a hefty discount on the $95 entry fee for most other National Magazine Awards.
2. Students are encouraged to submit, and the awards are open to work published in college and university magazines as well as any other eligible Canadian magazine.
3. Three finalists will be announced for each award on May 1; they and their work will be promoted in NMAF publications and at the NMA gala.
4. While there is only one entry allowed per person, there is no limit to the number of submissions from a single publication.
5. The winner of each category will be announced on stage at the 36th annual National Magazine Awards gala on June 7, in a room full of Canada’s top magazine publishers, editors and art directors.
6. For each winner there is a cash prize — $500 – and the right to call yourself a National Magazine Award winner in every bio for the rest of your life!
7. The winner of each category will be recognized on stage at the gala; they and their work will be promoted in NMAF publications, press releases, promotional campaigns — anything and everything we can do to celebrate emerging creative talent in our industry.
8. The winner of Best New Magazine Writer joins a group of award laureates including Matthieu Aikins, Patrick White, Chantal Srivastava, Jeremy Klaszus, Jonathan Trudel, Matthew McKinnon, Danielle Groen, Jean-François Bégin, Sophie Lees, Kris Demeanor and Larry Frolick.
9. The winner of Best New Visual Creator joins 2011 winner The Coveteur and 2009 winner Byron Eggenschwiler, a multiple NMA winner who also designed the creative for the 33rd National Magazine Awards (left).
10. The greatness of Canadian magazines is sustained by the talented, innovative and dynamic young people who love what they do and work hard to do it. At the National Magazine Awards Foundation we, like the rest of the Canadian magazine industry, want to recognize and celebrate this. We can’t do it without you.
Read more about Best New Magazine Writer and Best New Visual Creator. The submissions deadline is January 16, 2013.
NMAF Co-financing deadline is today
The deadline to apply for co-financing — the NMAF partial subsidy for small magazines entering this year’s National Magazine Awards — is today, December 9.
Download the application and return it by email posthaste!
[Related post: All about Co-financing]
It’s time to submit for the 2011 National Magazine Awards
Submissions season is open for the 35th annual National Magazine Awards. The deadline for entries is January 13, 2012.
Before you submit, you will certainly want to have a look at the Eligibility & Rules, the list of Categories, our handy Frequently Asked Questions and What’s New This Year. If you are the publisher of a small magazine, you’ll want to check out our Co-Financing.
You may submit entries to the NMAs as a magazine or as an individual. There are four (4) steps in the process.
- Log in and list your entries (you must upload a PDF version of each entry)
- Select your preferred method of payment (credit card or cheque)
- Print your entry forms (automatically emailed to your inbox)
- Package your entry forms with your required tear sheets and photocopies and send them to our office.
Most entries cost $85 each +HST. Certain categories — Best Single Issue, Editorial Package, Magazine of the Year — cost $150 each +HST. Gold Award winners in each category will receive a cash prize of $1000; Silver $500.
Submissions for Best New Magazine Writer and Best New Visual Creator are only $25. The winner of each receives a cash prize of $500.
The submission deadline is Friday January 13, 2012 at 5pm Eastern Time and submissions must be RECEIVED IN THEIR ENTIRETY to be eligible. Submissions postmarked by January 13, 2012 but received on Monday, January 16 will be subject to the late fee of $25 per entry. Applications received after 5pm on Monday, January 16 will NOT be accepted.
Finalists will be announced by May 1, 2012. Winners will be revealed at the 35th annual National Magazine Awards gala on June 7, 2012.
2011 National Magazine Awards: What’s new this year?
Starting today you can begin submitting your entries for the 2011 National Magazine Awards. The board of directors for the NMAF has approved the following changes to the awards program for 2011. The changes reflect the input and guidance from various members of our industry who are dedicated to ensuring the NMAF fulfills its mission to recognize and promote excellence in Canadian magazine publishing.
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1. Expansion of digital magazine participation:
Starting this year, content from digital magazines, companion websites of print magazines and online-only magazines will be eligible in most categories. The NMAF has clarified its guiding principle for what constitutes a digital magazine; please read carefully the Eligibility & Rules page before submitting, as well as the new NMAF Frequently Asked Questions.
Digital magazines (such as tablet editions) are now eligible to enter all categories except Editorial Package and Print Magazine of the Year (they may of course enter the category Digital Magazine of the Year). Eligible magazine websites may enter most written and visual categories. Exclusively digital categories Best Multi-media Feature and Best Digital Design may now be found under integrated and visual categories, respectively. See the full list of categories for details. See our FAQ for more on eligibility of Digital Magazines and Magazine Websites.
2. New visual categories:
The erstwhile Fashion & Beauty category has been divided into two distinct categories. The new category Fashion is open to any fashion layout using photography or illustration. The new category Beauty is open to any beauty layout using photography or illustration.
The former category Conceptual Photography has been renamed Creative Photography with an updated category definition.
The parameters for the categories Illustration and Spot Illustration have changed. All images a half page in size or larger must now be entered in the Illustration category; images smaller than a half page must be entered in Spot Illustration.
The definitions of the categories Homes & Gardens and Photojournalism & Photo Essay have been updated. See the full list of visual categories for complete definitions.
All visual categories other than those for art direction are now open to entries from all eligible digital magazines (such as tablet editions) and magazine websites. Digital magazines may enter their work in the art direction categories. See our FAQ for more on eligibility of Digital Magazines and Magazine Websites.
3. Two categories for emerging magazine talent:
This year there will once again be separate categories for Best New Magazine Writer and Best New Visual Creator. Each is open exclusively to emerging professionals — including students — whose early work in Canadian magazines shows the highest degree of craft and promise. The entry fee for these categories is only $25, and the prize money for the winner of each is $500. Read more about these categories.
4. Adjustments to written categories:
The roster of written categories remains the same; however small changes have been made to the definitions of the categories One of a Kind and Politics & Public Interest in the interest of clarity. Please read through all categories carefully before submitting.
The submissions process for the 2011 National Magazine Awards is now open at www.magazine-awards.com. The deadline for submissions is January 13.
All about Co-financing: Discounted NMA submission fees
The submissions process for the National Magazine Awards opens on December 1. On that date, the NMAF will make available the applications for Co-financing on its website. [Version française ici]
The deadline to submit Co-financing applications is December 9.
What is Co-financing? It is an NMAF partial subsidy of the cost of entering the awards. It is available to small publications with less than $250,000 in total revenue.
There are two levels of Co-financing available: one for publications with under 20,000 circulation; another for even smaller publications with under 2000 circulation.
How does one apply? Applicants must download and complete the application form (available on December 1) and return it to the NMAF by December 9 along with a confirmation of circulation (either an ABC or CCAB audited statement, or a copy of the magazine’s most recent print-run confirmation). The application must indicate how many submissions the magazine plans to enter, though the magazine does not have to enter its submissions by December 9.
There is no limit to the number of submissions that Co-financing applicants can enter. All successful applicants will be approved for Co-financing of a minimum of three submissions (unless they’ve indicated they will only submit one or two). As the NMAF has limited resources for Co-financing, successful applicants indicating they plan to enter more than three submissions will be approved for Co-financing on the remainder of their stated submissions on a first come, first served basis until the NMAF reaches its funding cap.
What happens next? The NMAF will notify all successful applicants by email no later than December 20, indicating how many submissions are approved for Co-financing. Applicants will have until the submissions deadline of January 13, 2012 to enter their submissions.
Magazines that have been approved for Co-financing must pay their submissions fees in full when they submit. The Co-financing will be disbursed as a refund once all submissions are received and verified; not later than March 2, 2012.
Co-financing applications will be available December 1 here.
