Deadline: 23 September 2024
The David Nyhan Prize honors journalists who illuminate the stories behind their politics and policy making, journalists who peel back the curtain on how public policy really works, showing who is pulling the political levers, what it means for people’s everyday lives in terms they can understand, and suggesting how the practice of governing can be made more fair for all.
Nyhan Prize winners are insightful, fearless journalists who are not content to report on the horserace of politics and policy making. They dig deep, to understand the nuances of public policy, the priorities of policy makers, and how the power flows of government affect the people government is built to serve. They hold the powerful to account by lifting up the stories and voices of those who are not themselves walking the halls of power, but whose interests should be at the core of what government does.
Categories
- The Nyhan Prize will offer two awards:
- Achievement in public policy journalism
- Emerging talents
- The David Nyhan Prize for Public Policy Journalism assumes a substantial body of published work over time, while the David Nyhan Emerging Talent Journalism Award aims to honor early career and student journalists who show great early success, potential, and drive to do the kind of journalism the prize honors. Both tiers have similar criteria.
Funding Information
- The winner of the David Nyhan Prize for Public Policy Journalism receives $4,000. The winner of the David Nyhan Emerging Talent Journalism Prize receives $1,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S.-based journalists working in any medium (including print, digital, audio, video, or a combination) and for any type of organization, including freelancers and self-employed journalists, are eligible.
- Submitted work can include reported pieces and or opinion or commentary.
- Columnists who include considerable original reporting in their work are a better fit for the prize than writers whose primary form is opinion.
- Work must be in English, or translations must be submitted as part of the nomination.
- For the purposes of the Nyhan Prize, “public policy journalism” includes coverage of politics (both elections and the politics of legislating) as well as the creation (legislative and regulatory) and implementation of public policy.
- If a nominee is not regularly publishing via a news publication with editorial oversight, they must demonstrate knowledge of and adherence to journalistic standards and practices in their work. This could include a background and or education in journalism, and or a statement that they follow journalistic standards, ethics, and or practices in their work.
- There is no set age or experience cut off for either category, however emerging talent nominees will usually have less than 10 years of experience in journalism, and career award nominees will generally have more than 10 years’ experience (these are not hard and fast divisions, however).
- Up to two reporting partners may be submitted as a joint nomination if they work together regularly and all submitted work is by-lined by both partners. The Nyhan prize does not accept nominations for group or collaborative journalism projects.
For more information, visit Shorenstein Center.
