This list of American journalism awards provides an index to articles about notable awards given in the United States for journalism. Some awards are restricted to a given region or state, and most are restricted to American journalists or companies. The list includes general awards, awards for investigative and sports journalism, fellowships, and lists of categories of Pulitzer Prizes and Gerald Loeb Awards.
| Award | Sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AAJA Journalism Excellence Award(s) | Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) | Excellence in various categories for outstanding storytelling, and in-depth reporting that moves the industry and cultural understandings forward. Pieces that demonstrate impact and are about the AAPI community, in the U.S. or abroad are highly encouraged. |
| Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media | Freedom Forum, University of South Dakota | Award presented annually to a leading figure in the media. |
| Aldo Beckman Memorial Award | White House Correspondents' Association | Journalistic excellence. |
| Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award | Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism | The best in television, radio, and digital journalism |
| American Mosaic Journalism Prize [1] | Heising-Simons Foundation [2] | Excellence in long-form, narrative, or deep reporting on stories about underrepresented and/or misrepresented groups in the present American landscape. |
| Anthony Shadid Award for Journalism Ethics | University of Wisconsin–Madison Center for Journalism Ethics | Ethical decisions in reporting stories in any medium, including print, broadcast and digital |
| Archbishop Edward T. O'Meara Award | Society for the Propagation of the Faith | Catholic journalism award given annually for world mission news coverage by the mission arm of the Catholic Church in the US, the pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith. |
| Barlett and Steele Awards | Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at Arizona State University | For excellence in investigative business journalism. |
| Bastiat Prize | Reason Foundation | Journalists whose published works explain, promote and defend the principles of the free society |
| Better Newspaper Contest | New York Press Association | Variety of weekly newspaper awards based on subject and newspaper circulation size. Given annually to weekly newspapers in New York State belonging to the New York Press Association |
| Catholic Press Awards | Catholic Media Association | Annual national excellence in journalism awards for articles in Catholic newspapers throughout the U.S. and Canada based on subject area and circulation size. |
| C.B. Blethen Award | Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association | Best journalist in the northwest United States |
| Clio Awards | Evolution Media | Creative excellence in advertising and design |
| Collier Prize for State Government Accountability | University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications & White House Correspondents' Association | Established by Nathan S. Collier to honor the legacy and vision of Peter Fenelon Collier, the annual award recognizes the best U.S. professional reporting on state government accountability in any medium or on any platform. |
| Conscience-in-Media Award | American Society of Journalists and Authors | Those who have demonstrated singular commitment to the highest principles of journalism at notable personal cost or sacrifice |
| Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards | Covering Climate Now | Celebrates journalism that provides a model for journalists everywhere as newsrooms increase their coverage of the climate crisis. |
| CPJ International Press Freedom Awards | Committee to Protect Journalists | Journalists or their publications around the world who show courage in defending press freedom despite facing attacks, threats, or imprisonment |
| Edgar A. Poe Award | White House Correspondents' Association | Excellence in news coverage of subjects and events of significant national or regional importance to the American people |
| Edward R. Murrow Award (Radio Television Digital News Association) | Radio Television Digital News Association | 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 |
| Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award | Colby College | A member of the newspaper profession who has contributed to the country's journalistic achievement |
| Elliott V. Bell Award | New York Financial Writers' Association | An award named in honor of the NYFWA's founding president to an outstanding journalist for a significant long-term contribution to the profession of financial journalism |
| Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Opinion Journalism | Eric Breindel Memorial Foundation | Columnist, editorialist or reporter who best reflects the spirit of Mr. Breindel's writings: Love of Country and its democratic institutions as well as the act of bearing witness to the evils of totalitarianism |
| Front Page Award | Newswomen's Club of New York | Journalistic achievement by women |
| George Polk Awards | Long Island University | To honor excellence in print and broadcast journalism |
| Good News Awards | Churches in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan | Published media that affirm the dignity of people, recognize and uphold universally-recognized human values, and uplift and nourish the human spirit |
| Green Eyeshade Awards | Society of Professional Journalists | Best journalism in the southeastern United States |
| Gregory Kolovakos Award | PEN America | U.S. literary translator, editor, or critic "whose work, in meeting the challenge of cultural difference, extends Gregory Kolovakos's commitment to the richness of Hispanic literature and to expanding its English-language audience (not given since 2004) |
| Henry R. Luce Award | Time Inc. | Editorial excellence in print, digital and multimedia categories |
| Herblock Prize | The Herb Block Foundation | Editorial cartooning |
| The Hillman Prize | The Sidney Hillman Foundation | Journalists, writers and public figures who pursue social justice and public policy for the common good |
| Impact Award | New York Financial Writers' Association | The award honors stories that have a demonstrable impact on the world, whether by spurring investigations, changing laws or holding the powerful to account |
| Horace Greeley Award | New England Press Association | Excellence in the print media of New England |
| International Editor of the Year Award | World Press Review | Editor or editors outside the United States whose work best exemplifies the principles of journalism |
| John Chancellor Award | Columbia University | Excellence in Journalism |
| John Murphy Award for Excellence in Copy Editing | Texas Daily Newspaper Association (TDNA) | Excellence in Copy Editing in TDNA papers |
| Keystone Press Awards | Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association | Relevance, integrity and initiative in serving readers, and furthers First Amendment values |
| Livingston Award | University of Michigan | Local, national, and international reporting |
| Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards | SATW Foundation | Excellence in Travel journalism |
| Maria Moors Cabot Prizes | Columbia University | Journalists in the Western hemisphere who for a significant contributions to upholding freedom of the press in the Americas and Inter-American understanding |
| Michael A. Dornheim Award | National Press Club | Presented in honor of the late Michael A. Dornheim, a longtime reporter and editor at Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine. [3] The recipient must be a working journalist writing about aerospace, defense, the airline industry, or aerospace science and engineering. The winner gets a $1,000 prize. [4] |
| Minard Editor Award | UCLA Anderson School of Management | Business editors whose work does not receive a byline or whose face does not appear on the air for the work covered |
| Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards | University of Missouri | Women's pages that covered topics other than society, club, and fashion news, and that also covered such topics as lifestyle and consumer affairs |
| MOLLY National Journalism Prize | The Texas Observer | Superior journalism in the tradition of Molly Ivins |
| National Association of Hispanic Journalists Hall of Fame | National Association of Hispanic Journalists | Great achievement |
| National Journalism Awards | Scripps Howard Foundation | Best work in journalism in 17 categories |
| National Magazine Awards | American Society of Magazine Editors | Print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design |
| National Pacemaker Awards | National Scholastic Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press | Excellence in American student journalism |
| News & Documentary Emmy Award | National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences | Outstanding achievement in national news and documentary programming |
| Online Journalism Awards | Online News Association | Established 2000, honoring excellence and innovation in digital journalism from around the world |
| Payne Award for Ethics in Journalism | University of Oregon | To honor the journalist of integrity and character who reports with insight and clarity in the face of political or economic pressures and to reward performance that inspires public trust in the media |
| Peabody Award | Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication | Distinguished achievement and meritorious public service by television and radio stations, networks, producing organizations, individuals, and the World Wide Web. |
| PEN/Nora Magid Award for Magazine Editing | PEN America | Magazine editor whose high literary standards and taste have, throughout his or her career, contributed significantly to the excellence of the publication he or she edits |
| Philip Meyer Journalism Award | National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication | Best journalism done using social science research methods |
| Pulitzer Prize | Columbia University | Excellence in newspaper journalism (see below for categories) |
| Robert Capa Gold Medal | Overseas Press Club | Best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise |
| Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award | Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights | Reporting on issues that reflect Robert F. Kennedy's concerns, including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world |
| Robert Novak Journalism Award | The Fund for American Studies | Reporting on issues leading to a full-length non-fiction work focused on the reporter's area of expertise. Honoring the legacy of Robert Novak [5] |
| Robinson Prize | ACES: The Society for Editing | Copy editor whose work demonstrates exceptional effectiveness |
| Sarah Booth Conroy Prize | American Institute of Architects | Reportorial or critical excellence in fostering a better public understanding of architecture and urbanism in Washington, DC. |
| Science in Society Journalism Awards | National Association of Science Writers | Outstanding investigative and interpretive reporting about the sciences and their impact for good and ill |
| Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism History | American Journalism Historians Association | Individuals with an exemplary record of sustained achievement in journalism history through teaching, research, professional activities, or other contributions to the field of journalism history |
| Sigma Delta Chi Award | Society of Professional Journalists | Excellence in journalism |
| Simon Rockower Award | American Jewish Press Association | Excellence in Jewish Journalism |
| Sunday Magazine Editors Association Awards | Sunday Magazine Editors Association | Various categories: from 1987 to 2001 |
| Sunshine State Awards | Society of Professional Journalists | Best journalism in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting | S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications | Reporting that illuminates the electoral process or reveals the politics of policy and engages the public in democracy. |
| Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award | International Women's Media Foundation | Women journalists who are detained, jailed or imprisoned |
| Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism | Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication | Leading figure in the journalism industry, especially for ground-breaking achievements which have advanced the industry as a whole |
| Yankee Quill Award | Academy of New England Journalists | Lifetime contribution toward excellence in journalism in New England |
Investigative journalists research in depth a topic such as a serious crime or incident of political corruption or corporate wrongdoing. They may spend months or years researching and preparing a report.
| Award | Sponsor | Honors | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting | Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy | Exposing examples of poor government, and encouraging good government in the United States | 1991 |
| Investigative Reporters and Editors | Missouri School of Journalism | Quality of investigative reporting | 1975 |
| James Aronson Award | Hunter College | Original, written English-language reporting from the U.S. media that brings to light widespread injustices, their human consequences, underlying causes, and possible reforms | 1990 |
| Malcolm Law Investigative Reporting Award | Tennessee Associated Press | Investigative reporting | 1973 |
| Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting | Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism | Distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series in print journalism | 1953 |
| Selden Ring Award | USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism | Investigative reporting that has had an impact and caused change | 1990 |
| Sidney Award | The Sidney Hillman Foundation | Outstanding investigative journalism in service of the common good | 2009 |
| Worth Bingham Prize | Worth Bingham Memorial Fund | Investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served | 1967 |
Sports journalism covers matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions.
| Topic | Award | Sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | Borlaug CAST Communication Award | Council for Agricultural Science and Technology | Promoting agriculture through research, teaching, extension, or mass communication... |
| Business | Morton Margolin Prize for Distinguished Business Reporting | Daniels College of Business | Business journalism published in a Colorado newspaper or magazine |
| Business | Gerald Loeb Award | UCLA Anderson School of Management | Excellence in business journalism |
| Chemistry | James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry | American Chemical Society | Outstanding reporting on chemistry, chemical engineering, and related chemical fields |
| Education | Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting | Education Writers Association | Top work of journalism among first-place winners in the National Awards for Education Reporting |
| Environment | Grantham Prize | Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting | Exemplary reporting on the environment (2005–2012) |
| Garment Industry | Atrium Award | Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and AmericasMart | Excellence in journalism coverage of the garment industry |
| International | Cornelius Ryan Award | Overseas Press Club | Best nonfiction book on international affairs |
| International | Shorenstein Prize | Asia–Pacific Research Center | Distinguished writing and reporting that helps Americans to better understand the complexities of Asia |
| LGBT community | GLAAD Media Award | GLAAD | Outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives |
| Media Industry | Mirror Awards | S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications | Excellence in media industry reporting |
| Theater | Critics and Awards Program for High School Students | Critics and Awards Program | Reviews by high school theater and journalism students |
| Award | Sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford | Stanford University | Journalistic innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership |
| Knight Science Journalism Fellowships | MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences | Coverage of science and technology, medicine, or the environment |
| Knight-Wallace Fellowship | University of Michigan | Reporters, editors, photographers, producers, editorial writers and cartoonists |
| Nieman Fellowship | Harvard University | Innovation, investigative journalism etc. |
| Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowships | Education Writers Association | Education journalism |
The Pulitzer Prize is an award administered by Columbia University for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher.
The Pulitzer Prizes for 2004 were announced on April 5, 2004.
The Gerald Loeb Awards, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was established in 1957 by Gerald Loeb, a founding partner of E.F. Hutton & Co. Loeb's intention in creating the award was to encourage reporters to inform and protect private investors as well as the general public in the areas of business, finance and the economy.
Beat reporting, also known as specialized reporting, is a genre of journalism focused on a particular issue, sector, organization, or institution over time.
Walt Bogdanich is an American investigative journalist and three-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize.
Tony Bartelme, an American journalist and author, is the senior projects reporter for The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. He has been a finalist for four Pulitzer Prizes.
Daniel Hertzberg is a former American journalist. Hertzberg is a 1968 graduate of the University of Chicago. He married Barbara Kantrowitz, on August 29, 1976. He was the former senior deputy managing editor and later deputy managing editor for international news at The Wall Street Journal. Starting in July 2009, Hertzberg served as senior editor-at-large and then as executive editor for finance at Bloomberg News in New York City before retiring in February 2014.
Geeta Anand is a journalist, professor, and author. She is currently the dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She was a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, as well as The Wall Street Journal and a political writer for The Boston Globe. She currently resides in Berkeley, California, with her husband Gregory Kroitzsh and two children.
Charles Duhigg is an American journalist and non-fiction author. He was a reporter for The New York Times, currently writes for The New Yorker Magazine and is the author of two books on habits and productivity, titled The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business and Smarter Faster Better. In 2013, Duhigg was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for a series of 10 articles on the business practices of Apple and other technology companies.
The 2011 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on Monday, April 18, 2011. The Los Angeles Times won two prizes, including the highest honor for Public Service. The New York Times also won two awards. No prize was handed out in the Breaking News category. The Wall Street Journal won an award for the first time since 2007. Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Goon Squad picked up the Fiction prize after already winning the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award. Photographer Carol Guzy of The Washington Post became the first journalist to win four Pulitzer Prizes.
Mark Maremont is an American business journalist with the Wall Street Journal. Maremont has worked on reports for the Journal for which the paper received two Pulitzer Prizes.
Russell Gold is an author and journalist for Texas Monthly. He was previously an investigative reporter for The Wall Street Journal and the San Antonio Express-News and suburban correspondent for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The 2016 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the 2015 calendar year. Prize winners and nominated finalists were announced on April 18, 2016.
Susanne Craig is a Canadian investigative journalist who works at The New York Times. She was the reporter to whom Donald Trump's 1995 tax returns were anonymously mailed during the 2016 presidential election. In 2018, she was an author of The New York Times investigation into Donald Trump's wealth that found the president inherited hundreds of millions of dollars from his father, some through fraudulent tax schemes. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting in 2019 for this coverage. In 2020, she further reported on Donald Trump's tax record which disclosed that he paid $750 in federal income tax during 2016 and nothing at all in 10 of the previous 15 years. Craig is also known for her coverage of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 and of New York State and New York City government and politics.
The 2017 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the 2016 calendar year. Prize winners and nominated finalists were announced by Mike Pride at 3:00 p.m. EST April 10, 2017.
The 2018 Pulitzer Prizes were awarded by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the 2017 calendar year. Prize winners and nominated finalists were announced by Dana Canedy at 3:00 p.m. EST on April 16, 2018.