Newsletter

2024 journalism awards and deadlines

We’ve compiled the submission deadlines for national journalism awards.

By Hayley Slusser

January 4, 2024

There are dozens of journalism awards honoring news organizations and reporters from across the country — from the Pulitzer Prizes to state and local competitions. To help make it a bit easier for news organizations to keep track of these competitions, we compiled a list of national journalism awards and their 2024 submission deadlines.  

There are still several contests that have yet to announce 2024 submission details, so we’ll update this resource as the year goes on. If there’s anything we missed, please let us know and we’ll add in the details. 

February 

Feb. 16: The Poynter Journalism Prizes – Honors the best in American journalism from calendar year 2023 across several categories. (Previously run by News Leaders Association).

March 

March 1: White House Press Correspondents’ Association Awards – Awards across several categories that highlight significant accomplishments in the field of White House / Presidential coverage.

March 1: Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards – Honors excellence in climate coverage across 14 subject-based categories.

March 18: Society for Features Journalism Excellence-in-Features Awards –Honors the best in features storytelling and design across several categories.  

March 29: Michael Kelly Award – Honors a writer or editor whose work exemplifies the fearless pursuit and expression of truth. The award is sponsored by The Atlantic.

TBA: John Chancellor Award – Awarded by the Columbia Journalism School, the award recognizes a reporter who may not be widely known by the public but who is highly respected within the profession for the caliber of their work. 

TBA: Gerald Loeb Awards – Honors reporting on business and finance that inform and protect the private investor and the general public.

April 

April 15: National Society for Newspaper Columnists Annual Contest – Accepts entries from columnists, bloggers, cartoonists, and serial essayists.

April 30: National Press Club Journalism Awards – Honors professional journalists who have produced outstanding work for the public during 2023, either independently or as employees of editorially independent news entities. 

May

May 9: Online Journalism Awards – A comprehensive set of journalism prizes honoring excellence in digital journalism around the world from the Online News Association. Applications open April 4.

July  

July 31: Barlett & Steele Awards – Recognizing the best in investigative business journalism. Applications will open on June 1.  

Past deadlines

January 

Jan. 9: George Polk Awards – Recognizes exceptional long-form investigative or enterprise journalism on military, governmental, or political injustices or abuses. 

Jan. 10: Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting – Honors investigative reporting that best promotes more effective and ethical conduct of government, the making of public policy, or the practice of politics.

Jan. 12: Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards – Recognizes the best in investigative reporting by print, broadcast, and online media. 

Jan 16: Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics – Awarded by The Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and recognizes ethical decisions in reporting stories by journalists no matter the medium in which they publish. 

Jan. 22: AAJA Awards – Honors the best journalism by AAJA members in 2023 and outstanding contributions of AAJA members, chapters, affinity groups, and changemakers who have left a lasting impact on the community over the past year.

Jan. 22: Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Awards – Honors the best in student journalism. Prizes are awarded regionally and nationally.  

Jan. 24: The Worth Bingham Prize for Investigative Reporting – Honors investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served.

Jan. 25: Pulitzer Prizes – Honors journalism that adheres to the highest journalistic principles across 15 categories. 

Jan. 26: The Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting – Highlights the impact investigative journalists have on local, national and global communities.

Jan. 30: Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma – Recognizes exemplary journalism about the impact of violence, crime, disaster, and other traumatic events on individuals, families, and communities.

Jan. 30 The Hillman Prize – Honors journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the common good. Offers categories for newspaper, magazine, opinion, and broadcast journalism, along with a books category.  

Jan. 31: Collier Prize for State Government Accountability – Awarded by the University of Florida and recognizes the best U.S. professional reporting on state government accountability in any medium or on any platform and is available to any news organization. 

February

Feb. 1: Livingston Awards – Awarded by the University of Michigan to recognize outstanding reporting and bolster the careers of journalists under the age of 35.  

Feb. 1: Best in Business Awards – Celebrates the best in business journalism across several categories, organization sizes, and mediums.

Feb. 5: Scripps Howard Awards – Recognizes journalism that spurs action, news organizations that go the extra mile to expose previously undisclosed or misunderstood information, and journalists who embrace new tools, channels, technologies, and approaches to provide more immersive experiences for their audiences.

Feb. 5: Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Awards – Recognizes the best in professional journalism in categories covering print/online, audio, television, and more. 

Feb. 5: Human Rights Press Awards – Aims to increase respect for people’s basic rights and recognize excellent, investigative, and original reporting on important issues in the mass media. 

Feb. 9: National Headliner Awards – One of the oldest and largest annual contests recognizing journalistic merit in the communications industry.

Feb. 13: Edward R. Murrow Awards – Awarded by the Radio Television Digital News Association to recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise, and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.