Categories

Two winners in each of the following five categories

  • Large: Newsrooms with staffs of 51 or more
  • Small: Newsrooms with staffs of 50 or fewer 

Size is determined by the number of full-time-equivalent employees in a newsroom – all those involved in reporting, editing, visuals, multimedia, design and production. 

FRANK A. BLETHEN AWARD FOR LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTING

Cash Prize:  $1,250 per winner

This award recognizes outstanding work done by a news organization that holds important local institutions accountable for their actions. The reporting should be investigative in nature, and judges will give preference to work that made a demonstrable difference in the news organization’s community. The work needs to be anchored in a community that is the primary audience of the publication, and this local reporting is the focus of this reward. However, national or international reporting that springs from that local core may also be included in the entry. Sponsored by The Seattle Times, this award is named in honor of Frank A. Blethen who has been Times publisher and CEO since 1985. Under his leadership, The Times has won six Pulitzer Prizes, including the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting. In 2011, Mr. Blethen was the first publisher to be awarded ASNE's News Leadership Award.

  • Individual or teamwork will be accepted for this category.
  • Maximum of 10 articles. Each story in a series will count as one of the 10 articles. Each sidebar will count as one article, as well.
  • A nominating letter no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.

BURL OSBORNE AWARD FOR EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Cash Prize: $1,250 per winner

This award, sponsored by The Dallas Morning News in the memory of executive Burl Osborne, recognizes editorial writing that is excellent journalism and makes a difference in a community. As editor, president and ultimately publisher, Mr. Osborne led The Dallas Morning News to national prominence and a string of Pulitzer Prizes. He was also chairman of the board of The Associated Press and was a president of ASNE. He died in August 2012.

  • Individual or team efforts will be accepted in this category. Editorials submitted can be the work of the same individual or team and can be signed or unsigned.
  • Maximum of 10 editorials.
  • A nominating letter no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.

DEBORAH HOWELL AWARD FOR WRITING EXCELLENCE

Cash Prize: $1,250 per winner

This award recognizes excellence in news and feature writing (except commentary or editorials) by an individual that's not done as breaking news. Sponsored by Advance Publications, Inc., this award is dedicated to former editor Deborah Howell who loved compelling writing. Ms. Howell served as editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and later as editor of Newhouse News Service's Washington bureau. She also served as ombudsman for The Washington Post. Ms. Howell died in 2010.

  • Maximum of 10 articles.
  • A nominating letter no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.

PUNCH SULZBERGER AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE STORYTELLING

Cash Prize: $1,250 per winner

This award recognizes excellence and innovation in the use of digital tools to tell news stories. In determining a winner, judges will consider strong writing, narrative skill, engaging graphical and visual elements, and compelling audio. Sponsored by The New York Times, this award is dedicated to the memory of former publisher Arthur Ochs "Punch" Sulzberger. In 1963, Mr. Sulzberger became the youngest publisher in Times history at age 37. He chose to publish excerpts of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, a move that earned the newspaper a Pulitzer Prize the following year. He died in 2012.

  • Individual or teamwork will be accepted in this category.
  • The submission may consist of a single or multiday presentation.
  • Digital components might include (but are not limited to) blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, mobile content, video, audio, photo galleries, data visualization tools and/or other interactive elements.
  • Entries should be submitted via their URLs. The PDF formatting of articles is not necessary.
  • A nominating letter no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.

VISUAL JOURNALISM AWARD

This category rewards photography, videos and any visual multimedia that capture a community, issue or news event. The visuals must be powerful and meaningful, providing deeper understanding through visual storytelling.

  • Individual or teamwork will be accepted in this category.
  • Submissions can be in black and white or color, regardless of how they were published.
  • An entry may consist of up to 15 images, or a video not more than 10 minutes long. Those limits will be strictly enforced.
  • To establish context, PDFs and/or links to the relevant web pages must be included in the entry. It's understood this supporting material may include visuals that are not part of the entry.
  • Each photograph should be submitted as JPEGs and have a size set at a resolution of 100 DPI, with a maximum dimension of 2750 pixels along its longest side. Videos should be submitted via URL.
  • All relevant text and captions should be included as they were posted and/or published.
  • A nominating letter no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.



One winner in each of the following six categories for newsrooms of all sizes

BATTEN MEDAL FOR COURAGE IN JOURNALISM

Cash Prize: $2,500

The Batten Medal rewards individual or team achievement in public service journalism, celebrating the memory of revered reporter, editor and newspaper executive James K. Batten, who was chief executive officer of Knight Ridder when he died in 1995. The award recognizes public service work that reflects compassion, courage, humanity and a deep concern for the underdog and work done in the face of difficult, unpopular or dangerous circumstances. The work can extend for more than one year and up to two years as journalism that makes a difference in the lives of real people and their communities. The competition is open to individual or a team of reporters, editors, news directors, columnists, editorial writers, photographers, videographers and graphic artists.

  • Individual or teamwork will be accepted in this category.
  • Maximum of 10 articles/columns or digital/interactive components or a combination of 20 (maximum) articles/columns and digital components.
  • Digital and interactive components might include (but are not limited to) blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, mobile content, video, audio, photo galleries, data visualization tools, etc.
  • All pieces submitted must have been published between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2018.
  • If it's an individual entry, then up to two of the pieces submitted for judging may include joint bylines or credits where the nominee was the lead or primary writer.
  • A nomination letter no more than 500 words may be included to add context to the entry but is not required.

DORI J. MAYNARD AWARD FOR JUSTICE IN JOURNALISM

Cash Prize: $2,500

This award celebrates journalism that overcomes ignorance, stereotypes, intolerance, racism, hate, negligence and indifference. Winning entries will bridge any or all of the social fault lines and fissures of race, gender, religion, class, caste, generation, disability, illness, nationality and geography. Sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, this award is named in memory of Dori J. Maynard who was an ASNE board member and a strong advocate for news and newsroom diversity and journalism that addressed injustices. A longtime journalist, Ms. Maynard was the president of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education, which is dedicated to helping news media accurately portray all segments of society. She died in 2015.

  • Individual or teamwork will be accepted in this category.
  • The submission may consist of a single or multiday presentation.
  • All entries — whether news, features, editorials and columns — will be judged on the quality of: the writing, the visual storytelling, the use of digital tools and community engagement.
  • Digital components might include (but are not limited to) blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, mobile content, video, audio, photo galleries, data visualization tools and/or other interactive elements.
  • The number of components within an entry should not exceed 10.
  • A nominating letter no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.

MIKE ROYKO AWARD FOR COMMENTARY AND COLUMN WRITING

Cash Prize:  $2,500

This award recognizes excellence in writing by an individual that expresses a personal point of view. Entries may include columns, blogs and other journalistic forms of opinion but not editorials. The Chicago Tribune is sponsoring this award in memory of legendary columnist Mike Royko, who wrote columns for nearly 34 years at the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. His Tribune column was syndicated to more than 600 newspapers. Mr. Royko is known for writing five columns a week for much of his career, often targeting powerful politicians. He died in 1997.

  • Maximum of 10 articles.
  • A nominating letter no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.

O’BRIEN FELLOWSHIP AWARD FOR IMPACT IN PUBLIC SERVICE JOURNALISM

Cash Prize: $2,500

The O’Brien Fellowship Award for Impact rewards individual or team achievement in public-service journalism. It recognizes public service work that helps solve community or societal issues, leading to changes in laws, regulations or other demonstrated results. The award is sponsored by the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University in Milwaukee, a unique mid-career fellowship for investigative journalists.

  • All elements submitted for the O’Brien Fellowship Award must have been published – and subsequent impact acknowledged – between Jan. 1, 2017, and Dec. 31, 2018.
  • A nomination letter of no more than 500 words should be included to add context to the entry.
  • As a condition of accepting the award, the primary individual or individuals responsible for the work will agree to visit Marquette for a symposium or similar event to engage with students and faculty while sharing their expertise and showing how they produced their award-winning work. All expenses for the visit will be borne by the university.
  • Individual or team efforts will be accepted in this category. Editorials or columns submitted can be the work of the same individual or team and can be signed or unsigned.
  • A maximum of 10 articles/columns or digital/interactive components or a combination of 20 (maximum) articles/columns and digital components may be submitted. Articles and other material outlining demonstrated impact of the reporting should be included as a supplement to the entry and will not count against the item limit.
  • All entries will be judged on the quality of storytelling, use of digital tools and measurable and demonstrable impact from the work produced.
  • Digital and interactive components might include (but are not limited to) blogs, tweets, Facebook posts, mobile content, video, audio, photo galleries, data visualization tools, etc.
  • Time stamps should be visible on digital and interactive entries. URLs should be provided. Access to content behind paywalls must be provided to facilitate judging.
  • If it’s an individual entry, then up to two of the pieces submitted for judging may include joint bylines or credits where the nominee was the lead or primary writer.

AL NEUHARTH BREAKING NEWS REPORTING AWARD

This award focuses on coverage of breaking news events. Entries are judged for writing and substance in the coverage of a breaking news event within the first 24 hours of the event. Entries should include digital elements if they were an important part of the initial coverage. Descriptive power, strong literary style, depth and breadth of reporting, timeliness, completeness and perspective will be evaluated.

  • Individual or teamwork will be accepted in this category.
  • Maximum of 10 articles.
  • Multimedia components might include (but are not limited to) graphics, photo galleries, video or interactive elements. Time stamps should be visible on these entries. URLs should be provided.
  • A nominating letter no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.

FIRST AMENDMENT AWARD

Cash Prize: $1,000

This award recognizes the best example of protecting or advancing freedom of information principles, and/or overcoming significant resistance to the application of the First Amendment. The First Amendment Award winner receives $1,000, sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University’s Free Speech Center.

  • Individual or team efforts will be accepted.
  • The work of editors, opinion writers and visual journalists also will be accepted, either alone or as part of a larger effort.
  • Maximum of 10 elements — any combination of articles, editorials and visuals.
  • A nominating letter of no longer than 500 words may accompany the entry but is not necessary.