Submissions Portal Now Open. Get started here!

Deadline: December 9, 2024 at 11:59pm PST.

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HOW TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY FOR THE COLLIER AWARD

There is no fee to apply for the Collier Award, and the application process is open to all students and professional journalists. Click here [link] to get started.

Your entry should have two parts:

1. Journalistic work published by a journalist or team of journalists, including students, between September 1, 2023, and August 31, 2024. Submitted works may be print, digital, audio, video, or photographic, and should be original reporting that was published in a U.S. newspaper, magazine, broadcast or audio outlets, wire service or online news site. The work submitted must be the version that was originally published.Print and digital: A single work or up to four related pieces may be submitted in a category. Each of the pieces must be discussed in Part 2 of the submission. Audio and video: Audio and video submissions should not exceed 120 minutes and should be accompanied by a full transcript. If the submitted work exceeds 120 minutes or is part of a multi-part series, please select a specific episode or excerpt of 120 minutes or fewer that is most representative of ethical considerations discussed in Part 2 of the submission.Photo: Up to 15 images may be submitted.
2. Written responses (750 words total, divided among the responses) describing how the journalist or journalists dealt ethically and effectively with up to three of the following issues in their work, as well as any challenges they faced:

Issue 1: Minimizing harm to sources, subjects, or others in the community

Issue 2: Determining whether and how to identify sensitive sources

Issue 3: Balancing privacy considerations with the imperative to disclose information in the public interest

Issue 4: Providing a fair opportunity to respond and upholding the “no-surprises rule,” despite the risk of losing exclusivity or triggering a pre-publication attack on the story  

Issue 5: Ethically deploying data or artificial intelligence

Issue 6: Avoiding false equivalency when the factual bases for opposing views are unequal

Issue 7: Providing transparency to the news consumer about how you made the ethical choices that went into the reporting of the story.

CATEGORIES

You may submit your work for recognition in the following categories:

A $5,000 award or scholarship for exemplary ethical journalism by a high school, undergraduate, or graduate student journalist ($500 for second place, $250 for third place)

A $10,000 award for exemplary ethical journalism with local or regional impact or significance by a professional journalist or team ($1,000 for second place, $500 for third place)

A $15,000 award for exemplary ethical journalism with national or international impact or significance by a professional journalist or team ($2,500 for second place, $1,000 for third place)

Please select the appropriate category when submitting your Collier Award application in the submissions portal. 

What are the eligibility requirements for the student category?

An entry in the student category must be the original work of a high-school student or team of students, including those who are homeschooled, or of part-time or full-time students enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program. The work should demonstrate impact or significance in the face of ethical challenges. The entry must have been published in a student or professional publication or news site, and the submitted version must be the original work that was published.

What are the eligibility requirements for the local category?

An entry in the local category must be the original work of a staff or freelance journalist, or team of journalists. The work should demonstrate local or regional impact or significance in the face of ethical challenges, and it must have been published in a newspaper, magazine, broadcast or audio outlet, wire service or news site in the U.S. The work submitted must be the version that was originally published.

What are the eligibility requirements for the national/international category?

An entry in the national/international category must be the original work of a staff or freelance journalist, or team of journalists. The work should demonstrate national or international impact or significance in the face of ethical challenges, and it must have been published in a newspaper, magazine, broadcast or audio outlet, wire service or news site in the U.S. The work submitted must be the version that was originally published.

JUDGING

Judging will take place in early 2024. Submissions will initially be screened by Ethics and Journalism Initiative staff for quality and compliance with submission requirements. 

The remaining submissions will be assessed by a panel of judges drawn from across the news media profession. The inaugural panel for the 2025 Collier Award for Ethics in Journalism: Dean Baquet (The New York Times), Sewell Chan (Columbia Journalism Review), Gina Chua (Semafor), Lynette Clemetson (Wallace House Center, University of Michigan), Nancy Gibbs (Shorenstein Center, Harvard University), Lynn Novick (Documentary Filmmaker), Kerry Smith (ABC News), Stephen Solomon (NYU), and Paul Steiger (ProPublica). For more information about the judges, visit the “Judges” tab. 

Judges will meet online to assess the quality of the published work and the supplemental responses. Finalists for each category will be announced in February/March 2025, with winners named at the inaugural NYU Ethics and Journalism awards ceremony and symposium in April 2025.

FAQS

Is there a limit to how many entries I can submit?

Individual journalists and teams of journalists may submit one entry per category.

I am a newsroom leader or awards liaison. Can I submit work on behalf of writers and editors in my newsroom? How should I go about doing this?

Yes, you may submit work on behalf of colleagues in your newsroom, should the journalist or team of journalists meet the criteria for the selected category. Newsrooms are encouraged to submit multiple entries in one or more category, as long as the submitted work is helmed by different reporters/reporting teams. 

Part 2 of the application should describe, in detail, the considerations and decisions made by individuals directly involved in the creation of the submitted work. 

Can I enter the same submission for judging in multiple categories?

No. Please use your best judgment to determine the category that is most appropriate for the scope of the submitted work and your professional identity.

Can I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in my submission?

The Ethics and Journalism Initiative strongly encourages discussion and research on the ethics of deploying AI and emerging technology in the journalism field.  AI may be used in submissions if the resulting work is explicitly labeled as AI-generated and the decision to use AI technology is explicitly discussed in the supplemental responses (see Issue 5: “Ethically deploying data or artificial intelligence.”)

Are freelancers eligible to submit their work? 

Yes, freelancers may submit work that is published by a news organization, outlet, or website.