The 2026 Poynter Journalism Prizes is now closed for entries. Winners will be announced in late April. 

 

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All entries must be submitted by 6 p.m. Eastern Time Friday, February 12, 2026.

The 2027 Poynter Journalism Prizes will honor the extraordinary journalism produced in 2026, with categories that take into account the important stories that unfolded in that time. We urge news organizations of all sizes and platforms to enter, as well as freelance and independent journalists, and judges will take into consideration the special circumstances that many or most outlets, including smaller ones, had to face to produce excellent journalism.

All news websites, news services (including radio, TV stations and magazines) and newspapers in the United States are eligible to enter. Each nominating organization must create its own account to enter. Freelance and independent journalists can self-enter their own work.

The categories for this year's awards are:

  • NEW THIS YEAR: Markoff Family National Prize for Investigative Reporting About Misinformation
  • Batten Medal
  • Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting
  • Roy Peter Clark Prize for Excellence in Short Writing
  • Cronkite School First Amendment Prize 
  • Deborah Howell Award for Writing Excellence
  • Dori J. Maynard Justice Award
  • Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership 
  • Burl Osborne Editorial and Opinion Award
  • Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing
  • Punch Sulzberger Prize for Innovation in Journalism
  • Poynter Journalism Prize for Distinguished Reporting on Poverty
  • Poynter Journalism Prize for Excellence in Climate Change Reporting


Thanks to our generous sponsors, all of our awards will come with a cash prize. Please see the categories page for details.
 
To begin an entry submission, please click here to register your organization's information. Please check to see if your organization has an account from last year before registering and use that account if possible. It is our preference that each organization or independent journalist use only one account for entering submissions. (Note: If you previously have created an account with the Poynter Institute for training or on poynter.org, this is not the same, and you must create a new account on this contest platform.) 

Note your email address (username) and password so that when you return, you can log in and complete the submission process. Please note: If you forget your password but a forgot password email does not successfully come through, please contact poynterprizes@poynter.org.

Steps to Follow:

Step 1: Make sure to review the categories and rules by clicking on their tabs in the menu bar.

Step 2: Start entering by clicking here to create one account for your organization or yourself if you are entering independently. If you already have an account, then you can log in (need account holder's login and password) and complete your submission.

Step 3: On the submit page, you will be asked to complete three forms per entry. You need to complete all three forms per entry in order to complete your submission.

Step 4: When you finish uploading your entry, click "Add to Cart," and you'll be directed to the "Review and Checkout" page. Review your entry and make changes if necessary. Click "Checkout" to pay and complete your submission. If you have more entries to submit, then click "Make Another Entry," and repeat the process. If you need to submit the same entry to a different category, then you'll have an option to copy the entry at the end of each "Entry submission" form. Once you complete adding all of your entries, you can then pay for everything at once. 

Step 5: Once you pay for your entry, you can review in the read-only mode by clicking "My Entries" under the "My Account" tab, but you won't have access to make changes.

Awards Rules:

Please follow the rules below to ensure that your entry is accepted. Entries that do not conform to these rules may be disqualified at the discretion of the judges or contest administrator. In addition, be sure to follow the specific requirements for each category found in the category descriptions. 

Eligibility: All entries must have been published or aired originally, reagrdless of platform or medium, between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2026 (unless otherwise specified). All entries must be submitted in English. All news websites, news services (including radio, TV stations and magazines) and newspapers in the United States are eligible to enter. Each nominating organization must create its own account to enter. Freelance and independent journalists based in the U.S. or with work published/aired by U.S. news organizations may also self-enter their own work. 

The work of a journalist or team can be entered in more than one category of the Poynter Journalism Prizes but can be selected as a winner in only one. For the Markoff Family Prize: A single entry or series or one that is substantially similar can be entered into only one of five Markoff Family Prize for Investigative Reporting competitions, including those hosted by other organizations. By submitting an entry for that prize you are attesting you will not enter the same work for a Markoff Prize on a different topic. However, a Markoff entry is eligible to be entered in a different Poynter Journalism Prizes category in this year's contest, such as the Batten Medal or Blethen Award, for example.

The work of both employees and freelance contributors is eligible.

Journalists employed by the Poynter Institute, and work edited by journalists employed by Poynter, are ineligble to enter. Employees of the Poynter-owned Tampa Bay Times and affiliates are eligible to enter because Poynter plays no role in news operations. Poynter employees who are jurors or judges shall recuse themselves from judging entries from the Tampa Bay Times. 

For the Markoff Family Prize: Journalists employed by the Poynter Institute, or a Poynter-owned organization, and work edited by journalists employed by Poynter, are ineligble to enter.

Deadline: All entries must be submitted by 6 pm Eastern Time Friday, February 12, 2027. 

Team Entries: All awards categories accept team entries except the Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing.

Multiple Entries: A news organization can submit up to three entries in each category. PLEASE BE MINDFUL of this limit. We are unable to refund entry fees if we disqualify an entry for being over the limit. However, individual journalists may self-enter in the same category, even if their organization submits three entries to that category.

Reprint Rights: Reprint rights are granted to the Poynter Institute by virtue of entry in this contest.

Entry Format: If your entry is available online, please submit your piece via the URL(s). If your entry requires special instructions to the judges about what pieces to consider, you may submit that information in an optional PDF. If you would prefer to submit your entry via PDF, we ask that you do so in a clear, easily legible format, with all components clearly labeled. Your nominating letter (optional) should be uploaded as a PDF.

If uploading via PDF, you should submit one PDF file that contains the entire entry and then another PDF file that contains the optional nominating letter. You may submit multiple PDFs if the entry is large. Each item in an entry must include its published date and be formatted for easy readability. If the entry involves a series, please submit only the number of items allowed up to the maximum in the category. Additional parts of a series can be submitted as supplemental material. 

If you are entering via URL and there is a paywall, then use the "paywall instructions" box in the entry submission form to upload instructions for access. The URL needs to be made accessible as a link on the Poynter website if it is a winning entry.

You may include clearly labeled supplemental material but it will not be judged as part of your entry.

All video entries should be entered by URL. Please refer to the categories page for more specific rules. 

No minimum number of items is required in each category, but there is a maximum number allowed that is dependent on the category. Please see the specific rules under each category for further instructions.

Enter online: Nomination letters if used and submission of entries must be completed online. Click here to set up an account for your organization and start entering. Please check with your nominating editor to see if your organization has an account before registering, as we prefer that each organization use only one account for entering submissions. Freelance journalists should set up their own account and note their status as independent. (Note: if you are a registered user or training customer of the Poynter Institute, that is NOT the same account you use to access The Poynter Journalism Prizes contest portal. You will need to create a new account on this site.) All entries must be submitted by 6 pm Eastern Time, Friday, February 12, 2027. No late entries will be accepted.

Entrant Type/Fees: There is a nonrefundable handling fee for each entry. For all categories except the Markoff Family National Prize in Investigative Reporting About Misinformation, the Early Bird entry fee of $75 applies to all entries submitted by 11:59 p.m. on January 29, 2027. Entries between January 30 and February 12, 2027 will pay a fee of $85 per entry. This fee cannot be waived.

For the Markoff Family Prize, the entry fee is $25. If a journalist or organization seeks a hardship waiver of this fee, please email poynterprizes@poynter.org with your request and circumstances. 

Support: All questions should be emailed to poynterprizes@poynter.org.