Nominations open for 37th Annual Journalism Prize Competition – United States

The Journalism Prize Competition recognizes and encourages thoughtful, insightful, and enterprising work by journalists covering the presidency and national defense. The Foundation is proud to continue this tradition and will award two $5,000 prizes, one for distinguished achievement in reporting on the presidency and another on national defense during the calendar.

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation fosters increased awareness of the life, career, values and legacy of America’s 38th President. It does so through activities designed to promote the high ideals of integrity, honesty, and candor that defined President Ford’s extraordinary career of public service.

The Foundation promotes the ideals, values, commitment to public service and historical legacy of President Gerald R. Ford and further promotes greater civic engagement and recognition of integrity wherever it exists in the public arena. It supports permanent and changing exhibits designed to promote historical literacy; conferences; educational outreach and other programs, both scholarly and popular, including at the Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum.

Awards

• Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service
  • Each year, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation awards the Medal for Distinguished Public Service to persons who have served the public good in the private and public sector. The award is presented during a ceremony held in June at the Foundation’s annual dinner in Washington, D.C. The Gerald R. Ford Medal for Distinguished Public Service recognizes outstanding public contributions by individuals who reflect the qualities demonstrated by President Ford during his public service career: Strength of character, Integrity, Trustworthiness, Fidelity to principles in decision making, Sound judgment, Decisiveness (particularly during periods of crisis), Determination in the face of adversity, Diligence, Self-confidence balanced with respect for the views of others, Self-discipline in personal life.
• Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prizes for Reporting on the Presidency and on National Defense
  • Each year, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation awards two distinguished journalism prizes, one for reporting on the Presidency and the other for reporting on National Defense. These prizes, initiated in 1988, recognize reportorial excellence and the fostering of better public understanding of the presidency and national defense. Each year the two prizes are presented to the winners at a reception and event in Washington, D.C. and include a $5,000 award, one for each prize.
• President Gerald R. Ford Student Writing Challenge
  • Each year the theme for the President Gerald R. Ford Student Writing Challenge reflects on an important part of Gerald R. Ford’s character. High school students from public, private, city, suburban, rural, and home schools participate in the contest. Finalists are chosen and recognized at a special awards program at the Museum.
• Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library Research Grants and Award Programs
  • Two programs are available to support research in the holdings of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. These holdings focus on federal policies, U.S. foreign relations, and national politics in the 1960s and 1970s with also earlier and later materials depending upon your topic. The programs include The Gerald R. Ford Scholar Award (Dissertation Award) in Honor of Robert Teeter in the amount of $5,000 and several Research Travel Grants of up to $2,000.
• NCAA President’s Gerald R. Ford Award
  • The NCAA award, named in recognition of former President Gerald Ford, honors an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics on a continuous basis over the course of their career.
• Gerald R. Ford Legends Award presented by Rimington Trophy
  • The award is presented to former collegiate or professional centers who, in addition to standout football careers, have also made significant contributions to the football and/or business communities, or through philanthropic endeavors.

Eligibility Criteria

• Entries must be for work published in print, broadcast, or presented online during 2024 by a media outlet based in the United States or its territories. (No podcasts allowed.)
• Journalists may apply directly, or be nominated for one of the two prizes each year.
• Submissions with joint bylines may apply, or be nominated.
• Entries must be submitted on behalf of a journalist(s) and not an organization.

Criteria

• Judging will be based on the journalist’s ability to foster better public understanding of either the United States presidency or national defense. The prizes recognize reportorial excellence as reflected by resourcefulness, insight, brevity, and quality of writing, rather than the quality of editorial comment. Candidates for either prize should have compiled a year-long record of consistent, judicious, sensitive, and noteworthy coverage. The prizes recognize the quality of a journalist’s work throughout the year, rather than any single article or story.
• Work may have appeared in print, broadcast, or been presented online during 2023 at a local, regional, national, or international level (daily newspapers, news magazines, or trade publications with a broad readership). Freelance as well as staff journalists may be candidates.
• For the Presidency Prize, reporting should address ways in which the President exercises leadership, sets policy and makes decisions, initiates programs and responds to events, relies on Cabinet and senior staff, and the structure and functioning of White House operations.
• For the National Defense Prize, reporting should address leadership, national security issues, Department of Defense operations, military operations, unconventional threats and targets, defense resource management, military preparedness, or international arms control.

For more information, visit Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation.