EWA Awards

What is the latest date for entering?

All entries must be completed before 6 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 7, 2026. 

Please note: Entries submitted by 6 p.m. Eastern on Dec. 17, 2025 are charged $75 for members and $125 for nonmembers. Fees increase to $125 for members and $175 for non-members after 6 p.m. Dec. 17, 2025 until the Jan. 7, 2026 deadline. Student journalists pay $25.

EWA Membership Deadlines:  Become a member by Dec. 4 to receive the Early Bird Discount. Become a member by Dec. 15 to pay the Regular Price discount. 

Are the fees per article or per entry? The payment is per entry, not per article. For example, if a category permits up to three articles or pieces, and you submit three articles for that entry, you pay a $75 early bird fee for members or $125 early bird fee for nonmembers.

May I send my payment for entry later?

No. We only accept credit card payments. If there are extenuating circumstances, email awards@ewa.org to make a request.

May I take back an entry I submitted? What about a refund?

Once an entry is submitted, you cannot delete it, nor can we refund your application fee.

I joined EWA one day before the deadline, and I haven’t heard back. What happens?

To receive the member discount, entrants must adhere to EWA’s deadlines for membership. The membership deadlines are listed above in this section.   

If you’re a nonmember thinking about entering the EWA Awards and want to save money, we highly recommend joining EWA sooner rather than later. At times, it takes a week for our membership coordinator to review your application, so applying with enough time for this process is important.

What is the latest date for entering?

All entries must be completed before 6 p.m. Eastern on Jan. 7, 2026. 

Is there a limit to the number of entries I may submit?

No, but each entry requires its own entry fee and entry form. Also remember, no story can be submitted in more than one category, with the exception of beat reporting.

What if I want to submit something from a previous employer?

If you’re entering work from a previous employer, please be sure to note that in your entry letter. You can enter it in the category size for your former employer – unless you are submitting an entry for beat reporting, and it includes stories from both your former employer and your current one. Then the category size entered must match the larger news organization.

Can a media outlet representative submit entries on behalf of other staff members?

Yes. Also, if you’re an editor submitting on behalf of a reporter or freelancer, please consult with them to make sure they also have not submitted the same entry. Ditto for reporters and freelancers: Please consult with your editors to make sure they have not submitted on your behalf.

May freelance journalists enter?

Yes, as long as they meet EWA’s definition of “journalist,” as defined in EWA Bylaws, Article II, Section 1.1. 

Eligible journalists are defined as: “individuals whose primary professional activities involve reporting, writing, producing, editing, or otherwise preparing the news and editorial content of independent news media products. The definition of journalist also includes freelancers whose primary body of work is for independent news media, staffers at press associations or journalism education associations, journalism instructors, and journalism students.” 

In categories with newsroom size subcategories, freelancers must enter according to the newsroom size of the organization that published their story. Please verify the size of the newsroom with the organization.

If you’re a freelance journalist with an LLC, you still enter according to the FTE of the news organization in which your submissions appeared.

I’m not a journalist, but I also contribute to a news outlet or magazine. May I enter?

No. EWA only accepts entries produced by journalists that appeared in an independent journalism outlet. The majority of an entrant’s work must follow the EWA bylaws.

Why aren’t works by non-journalists eligible for these awards?

There are many thoughtful writers in teaching, think tanks, and research communities who contribute to education journalism by providing news tips, quotes, research and perspectives. However, this contest honors the very best of independent education journalism. EWA is grateful to its community members for their continued support for expanding the breadth and depth of independent education journalism.

I work for a magazine/weekly/podcast/online-only news outlet. Where should I enter?

Journalists of any medium or platform can enter and compete in any of the categories, except those specifying a broadcast-type category. In addition, any news outlet can submit entries that are primarily audio or primarily visual. 

Do I need to be a full-time education reporter?

No. Entries must be about education, but the journalists producing the submitted work don’t need to be assigned to the beat. You do need to qualify as a journalist as defined by EWA’s bylaws. Please see our bylaws for more. 

May I enter the same story in two different categories to hedge my bets?

No. The only exception is those entered in the beat category. 

How many articles, or how much audio or video, can I submit in each entry?

It depends on the category. All audio and video submitted to the broadcast features and news subcategories are capped at a total viewing or listening time of 15 minutes. Podcasts can have up to one hour of audio. Beat reporters can submit up to five pieces. (See Categories for more details.)

I’m a radio reporter. Can I only enter broadcast news, broadcast features or podcast?

No. Journalists at radio outlets can enter other categories, especially if they have packages that include multimedia or print. 

The broadcast category is reserved for television and radio news organizations. Audio and visual news content that is published by non-broadcast (television and radio) news organizations is eligible to be entered in all other EWA Awards categories (feature, explanatory, investigative, data reporting & visualization, and beat).

I’m a television reporter. Can I only enter broadcast (news or features)?

No. Journalists at television outlets can enter other categories, especially if they have packages that include multimedia or print. 

The broadcast category is reserved for television and radio news organizations. Audio and visual news content that is published by non-broadcast (television and radio) news organizations is eligible to be entered in all other EWA Awards categories (feature, explanatory, investigative, beat).

I work for a small education-only outlet. Can I submit stories to the small newsroom category instead of education-only?

No. If there is an education-only subcategory, you must choose that one. Education-only entries that were co-published with a non education-only outlet can be submitted to another subcategory if the partner outlet contributed substantially to the entry. 

I’m a student journalist. What can I enter?

We have created a special category for student journalists. The stories should have been published or produced by a student-run independent news organization or school-related news organization in which students serve as staffers. (This can’t be an NPR affiliate linked to a university like WAMU or WUIS.) You can submit up to three stories, but they must center around a common theme. 

What’s the difference between the feature, explanatory and investigative categories?

The explanatory category focuses on explaining complex issues or current events in education. Stories in the feature category focus on human interest or building a narrative. Investigative reporting uncovers a problem or wrong-doing and leads to change in policies. 

What happened to the news category for FTE-based newsrooms and education-only outlets?

The majority of entries submitted to the news categories for small and large newsrooms and education-only outlets were explanatory in nature, so EWA decided to sharpen the category’s focus. Breaking news stories can still be submitted in the beat and broadcast categories.

How do I figure out how many stories to submit?

Whether someone scores lower in an entry often comes down to the quality of every individual piece, according to judges’ comments on multi-story entries and during their virtual final decision meetings. Entry quality can make the difference in placing fourth or as a finalist, or placing as a finalist or winner if one article is substantially weaker than the others. If a piece isn’t as strong as the others, don’t enter it. Quantity does not edge quality. 

I don’t know the newsroom’s FTE count. Does it matter?

Yes. If you enter one of the FTE subcategories in beat reporting, explanatory journalism, feature, and investigative reporting, it is mandatory to enter a newsroom FTE count. Check with an editor or human resources at your news organization. If you’re a freelancer, do the same. 

Do I need a letter of support or endorsement from an editor?

No. You can enter individually. You don’t need a letter or any other approval from an editor. The same rule applies for freelancers. But do submit a cover letter.

What should I include in my cover letter?

The cover letter can be written by the entrant(s) or an editor. Briefly state why the entry matters and include background information, if appropriate, about reporting challenges, such as whether the entry required significant public records requests, the thinking behind any innovations in presentation, and the impact of the work, such as whether it uncovered a critical issue or violation or resulted in any positive changes in the community. Judges advise against recapping your coverage. They will listen to/read/watch/your stories. The length for your cover letter is one page.

How do I calculate the size of my newsroom to determine which division to enter?

Calculate the journalism staff size by counting all the full-time-equivalent (FTE) journalism-related employees in the newsroom at the time the entry was produced. In addition to reporters, the calculation should include all editors, designers, online producers, and multimedia content producers, such as photographers, data analysts and videographers. Two half-time editors, for example, would add up to one FTE. If an organization has ongoing contracts with freelancers, they must be incorporated into the FTE count.

Freelancers should submit entries based on the FTE count of the media outlet that published them, not based on their LLC. Four of the awards categories include subcategories by newsroom size. If you enter a newsroom size subcategory, include your newsroom’s FTE count on your entry.

Newsrooms sizes are:

Small: 40 and under FTE newsroom employees or under 50 broadcast market.

Large: Over 40 FTE newsroom employees or top 50 broadcast market.

I work for a small bureau or division that is part of a large news organization. Which newsroom size do I enter?

Enter the size division reflecting the newsroom resources available to you to produce the work. If you received no material support from any other office or division, enter based on your local newsroom. But if your work benefited from reporting from other bureaus, or editing, programming, or graphics from a centralized desk, enter in the division that corresponds to the staffing of the combined newsrooms.

How will you know the size of my newsroom?

We generally operate on the honor system; though if the judges check and discover you have entered a newsroom size division smaller than you should, they will disqualify your entry. If you enter a larger division than you should, they may move your submission to its rightful place. We adopted the FTE newsroom staff model of gauging the size of the publication because we believe that metric has more to do with the resources of an outlet than does circulation size or web traffic.

I have a submission that ran as part of a partnership with another journalism organization. Which newsroom size division should I enter?

Enter the newsroom size of the larger partner. 

What publish date should my stories have? 

Entries must have been published, posted or broadcast in an independent news outlet for the first time in 2025. EWA does accept series in which one part appeared during the 2024-25 school year, but a majority of the series’ pieces must have run in 2025. The only exception: Stories published or broadcast in 2024 that were honored as finalists or winners in last year’s contest are ineligible for consideration in this year’s awards.

Do you accept entries in languages other than English?

If you submit an entry in another language, you must provide an English translation or English captions/subtitles in the case of broadcast stories.

What format should I use to submit my work?

URLs alone are enough and preferred (though make sure to provide usernames and passwords to get around paywalls), but you can also submit JPEGs, MOVs, MPEGs, MP3s or MP4s, PDFs, PNGs, WAVs, or WMVs – we recommend you use a password-protected website like Vimeo; some judges have experienced difficulty viewing uploads. Please note that judges can disqualify submissions if they’re hard to read or view, so if you choose to submit a PDF or raw video/audio, ensure it’s readable, viewable or listenable.

Does my entry have to be submitted online?

Yes. 

My newsroom worked with others, and we’re submitting entries from a package in two separate categories. Is that okay?

That is acceptable IF:

• The stories or work are not duplicated in any category other than beat.
• You use a separate title for each entry. 
• They match the category you are entering. If you enter a feature, it must be a feature story.

My newsroom produced an ongoing project or series with multiple stories. May I submit individual pieces of that larger project as separate entries? 

Yes. Be sure to give each entry a distinct, unique title, so there is no confusion and to clearly differentiate it from other stories in the larger project. 

May I submit both an audio and print version of a story in two different categories? 

If the two versions are largely similar, you should only submit one of these versions as an EWA Awards entry. 

Are there cash prizes?

First-prize winners receive $750 and a plaque. The winner of the Ronald D. Moskowitz Prize for Outstanding Beat Reporting receives $2,500, and the winner of the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting receives $7,500.

When will the winners be announced?

Finalists will be announced in late spring 2026. Winners are announced at EWA’s 2026 National Seminar in Baltimore, June 2-5.

Who judges these entries?

EWA recruits veteran reporters, editors and journalism professors, many of them previous EWA prize winners, as judges. Judges are assigned categories and newsroom divisions that avoid conflicts of interest, and they recuse themselves from judging entries from their own employer or close friends. If you would like to be considered as a judge, which is a great opportunity to read and learn about the best education journalism of the year, please email awards@ewa.org.