The Poynter Journalism Prizes

The 2025 Poynter Journalism Prizes contest is now open for entries. Go here to submit your entry today. 

The final deadline for entries will be 6 p.m. Feb. 14, 2025. An early bird discounted entry fee of $75 will be in effect until Jan. 31. After that the entry fee is $85.

The Poynter Institute has been home to the Poynter Journalism Prizes contest since 2024, when the News Leaders Association transitioned stewardship to Poynter. Before the NLA took on the contest in 2019, most of the categories came from the American Society of News Editors Distinguished Writing Awards, established in 1979, and the Associated Press Media Editors contest.

Poynter is proud to continue the legacy of these awards, which have honored many of the most notable journalists and news organizations of the last 45 years. Most prizes are named for distinguished journalists and media leaders, and support for cash awards is provided by generous sponsors from the world of journalism. 

The awards were inspired by the late Gene Patterson when he was editor of the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times). Patterson served as ASNE president, and was chairman of the Poynter Institute, which owns the Times. For many years, Poynter hosted the judging for the awards at its St. Petersburg headquarters and published an annual book compiling the work of the winners, Best Newspaper Writing.

Today, the contest has expanded to honor work across all platforms, including digital, video and audio. Once the entry deadline of Feb. 14 has passed, juries will meet to determine three finalists for each award. Later the Poynter Journalism Prizes Selection Board will choose the winning entry in each category. Winners will be announced in late April from the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg. See 2024’s winners here.

For questions, email poynterprizes@poynter.org.

The current Prizes are:

The Batten Medal ($2,500 prize) – for exceptional journalism that serves the public and makes a difference to the lives of people and their communities, sponsored by editors of the former Knight Ridder. 

The Frank A. Blethen Award for Local Accountability Reporting ($2,500 prize) – for outstanding work holding local officials accountable, sponsored by The Seattle Times. 

The Deborah Howell Award for Writing Excellence ($2,500 prize) – for exceptional writing, sponsored by Advance Publications.

The Dori J. Maynard Justice Award ($2,500 prize) – for reporting on social justice issues, sponsored by the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University.

The Burl Osborne Editorial and Opinion Award ($2,500 prize) – for editorial writing that has made an impact, sponsored by The Dallas Morning News.

The Mike Royko Award for Commentary and Column Writing ($2,500 prize) – for excellence in writing by an individual expressing a personal point of view, sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.

The Punch Sulzberger Prize for Innovation in Journalism ($2,500 prize)  – for work that exemplifies new ways of executing the craft of journalism to engage audiences, sponsored by The New York Times.

The Roy Peter Clark Prize for Excellence in Short Writing ($2,500 prize) – for compelling journalistic writing of less than 800 words in any medium, sponsored by the Poynter Institute.

The Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership ($2,500 prize) – for the accomplishments of media professionals who encourage diversity in hiring and coverage. This award is sponsored by McClatchy Media.

The First Amendment Award ($1,000 prize) – for the best example of protecting, championing or advancing freedom of information principles. 

Poynter is currently seeking sponsors for the First Amendment Award, and the Roy Peter Clark Prize for Excellence in Short Writing. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Jennifer Orsi, jorsi@poynter.org.