Peter F. Collier Award for Ethics in Journalism (United States)

The award is administered by the Ethics & Journalism Initiative at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University. This is the award’s inaugural year, and it will be granted annually.

Focus Issues

• 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

Award Information

• 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)

Eligibility Criteria

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Application Process

• There is no fee to apply for the Collier Award, and the application process is open to all students and professional journalists.
• Your entry should have two parts:
  • 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.
  • Written responses (750 words total, divided among the responses) describing how the journalist or journalists dealt ethically and effectively with up to three following issues.

For more information, visit Ethics & Journalism Initiative.