ROME -- The Maria Grazia Cutuli Foundation is offering a prize to journalists of merit who work in zones of crisis or war.

The prize is in honour of the Sicilian-born journalist Maria Grazia Cutuli who was killed in Afghanistan in 2001. She had been a reporter for the Milan-based Corriere della Sera for four years previously, and specialised in overseas reporting.

The prize has the support of the Corriere della Sera and the paper's Editor, Ferruccio De Bortoli, and nominations are open to newspaper, radio and TV journalists, as well as freelancers.

There are three categories: Foreign Press, Italian Press, and Up-and-coming Sicilian Journalist.

This year's prize is the 7th to be awarded by the Foundation. It will be awarded in November.