Award opportunities
Get awarded for your work
The Reynolds Center hosts its own annual awards – The Barlett and Steele Awards, for the best in investigative business journalism — but there are also many other opportunities for business journalists to be recognized for their work. Therefore, we have gathered together the essential information for the awards we believe are best suited for business journalists and journalism students.
Even though we update this page regularly, we may still be missing information. If you see something that is incorrect or if you know of a business journalism award that should be added to this list, please let us know by using our contact us form.
Best in Business Awards
Presented by: Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW)
SABEW is the nation’s largest association of business journalists and its annual awards honor excellence among their members.
Entry Cycle:
Submissions are typically open early December to late Janaury
Categories:
Categories are broken out by size, determined by the news organization’s total editorial staff. News organizations compete against other similarly sized organizations, regardless of format, unless otherwise noted. Freelancers will be grouped based on the size of the outlet that published their work.
Small: Fewer than 50 editorial staff
Medium: 51-300 editorial staff
Large: 301+ editorial staff
Entry fee:
Yes. $20 – $200. Depends on date of submission and publication type. Student entries include a free, one-year student membership.
General Requirements:
URL to story or PDF if there is a paywall; no more than three elements in an entry; up to five individuals may be names on an entry; no limit on number of entries per news outlet, but each individual story can only be entered into one story type and one story topic category.
Accepts international applicants?
Yes.
Additional notes:
Current SABEW membership is a requirement to enter (if multiple people on byline, one person must have an active membership).
The Gerald Loeb Awards
Presented by: UCLA Anderson School of Management
Established in 1957, the awards encourage and support reporting on business and finance that informs and protects the private investor and the general public.
Entry Cycle:
Submissions typically open from mid-April to late June
Categories:
Categories include: Audio, Beat Reporting, Breaking News, Commentary, Explanatory, Feature, International, Interview, Investigative, Lifetime, Local, Minard Editor Award (for a business editor), Personal Finance & Consumer Reporting, Video, and Visual Storytelling.
Entry fee:
Yes. $100 per submission.
General Requirements:
URLs are required; max of two submissions for individual authors or three submissions for authors with joint bylines; submissions need to be on a subject related to business, finance, and economics.
Accepts international applicants?
Consideration is limited to items/elements published or broadcast/streamed in the United States in the calendar year specified by the awards.
Additional notes:
All entries must include a completed questionnaire
Wert Global Prize
Presented by: Columbia Journalism School
Established in 2018 to honor excellence in business journalism by a woman for work that fosters a greater understanding of global business. This award is run by the Knight-Bagehot Fellows. Recipients receive a $2,000 prize.
Entry Cycle:
Submissions open in the spring.
Entry fee:
Yes. $50 per submission.
General Requirements:
One to five pieces of business reporting in English published or broadcast by a recognized media outlet (print, audio, video, digital), transcripts of audio/video submissions, and a brief cover letter with a short nominee bio.
Accepts international applicants?
Yes. Entries must be in English.
Additional notes:
Books, films, podcast series and self-published work are not eligible.
Worth Bingham Prize
Presented by: The Nieman Foundation at Harvard University
Established in 1967, the $20,000 Worth Bingham Prize honors investigative reporting of stories of national significance where the public interest is being ill-served.
Entry Cycle:
Deadline for submissions is typically late January.
Entry fee:
Yes. $50 per submission.
General Requirements:
Entries may include a single story, a related series of stories, or up to three unrelated stories. Columns and editorials are eligible.
Entries must be published in print or web-based. No broadcast-only entries are allowed. Multimedia submissions are accepted, but the principal audience for the work should be readers rather than listeners or viewers. Individuals are encouraged to submit their own entries.
Accepts international applicants?
No. Entries must be published in a U.S. news organization.
The Selden Ring Award
Presented by: USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
Established in 1989, the $50,000 annual award recognizes published investigative reporting that has brought results, holding those in power accountable and telling stories that matter.
Entry Cycle:
Deadline for submissions is typically mid-January.
Entry fee:
None.
General Requirements:
Full-time or freelance reporters working for a United States news organization are eligible for the Selden Ring Award. For audio or video entries, include transcripts. Editors, publishers, educators, journalism organizations and others may make nominations.
Accepts international applicants?
No. Only full-time or freelance reporters working for a United States news organization are eligible.
Sigma Delta Chi Awards for Excellence in Professional Journalism
Presented by: Society of Professional Journalists
The awards date back to 1932, when SPJ first honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The awards recognize the best in professional journalism in categories covering print/online, audio, television, and more.
Entry Cycle:
Early bird deadline is typically late December, extended deadline in February.
Entry fee:
Yes. Depends on date of submission and SPJ membership status.
Categories:
Under all platforms, there are categories for: Business/Finance Reporting, Consumer/Retail Reporting, and Tech Reporting. There are many other categories as well, depending on what your story covers.
General Requirements:
Entries can be a single piece or a series of no more than three pieces by a single writer; depending on the category, entries can be anything aired, streamed or published. Entries must be accompanied by a one-page cover letter.
Accepts international applicants?
Yes. The contest is open to any work published or broadcast by a U.S. or international media outlet. Apart from Spanish-language categories, if not originally published or broadcast in English, entries must include an English transcript or English subtitles.
Additional notes:
Freelance work is eligible. One award is issued in each category.
