A new journalism award announced Wednesday will recognize two freelancers each with a $100,000 unrestricted cash gift for long-form, impactful work.
The American Mosaic Journalism Prize, from the Heising-Simons Foundation “recognizes journalism’s critical ability to foster greater understanding and empathy, and aims to reward and empower exceptional journalists,” according to a news release.
The first two recipients of the prize, which can go to journalists working in any medium, are Jaeah Lee, whose work includes covering criminal justice and equality, and Valeria Fernández, who covers immigration in Arizona.
The Heising-Simons Foundation supports work that advances research in science, the climate and clean energy, early childhood education and human rights.
According to the release, “the prize recognizes that in today’s journalism, freelancers are both vulnerable and valuable. With trimming of newsroom staff, many journalists are working without the support of an institution and with limited resources. And yet, some of the most important works of journalism come from these freelance journalists who commit long periods of time to their subjects.”
