Awards Categories
The Education Writers Association has revamped its categories dramatically. Carefully review the categories and subcategories before making your choices.
Good luck!
Photo credit: James Minichello of AASA for EWA
Prizes
The prize for category winners is $1,000.
Newsroom Size
Four of the awards categories include subcategories by newsroom size. Entrants should calculate their newsroom size by counting all full-time-equivalent (FTE) editorial employees in the newsroom at the time the entry was produced.
In addition to reporters, the calculation should include editors, designers, online producers, and multimedia content producers, such as photographers, data analysts and videographers.
Two half-time editors would be counted as one FTE. Freelancers should request the FTE from the outlet in which their pieces were published. If you enter a newsroom size subcategory, include your newsroom’s FTE count on your entry or it may be disqualified.
Note: If submissions in these subcategories are lopsided (60% submitted in small and 40% in large), EWA reserves the right to recalibrate the FTE count based on what entrants report to us. It is vital that you include your actual newsroom count if you are submitting to one of these four subcategories.
Media Formats
Journalists can submit all media formats to these categories:
- Beat reporting
- Data reporting and visualization
- Investigative/public service reporting
- Student journalism
The following categories either focus on audio or video or include related subcategories:
- Features – broadcast (radio or television)
- News – broadcast (radio or television)
- Podcast – audio
Carefully review the categories and subcategories before making your choices. Good luck!
Categories
Beat Reporting: Beat Reporting recognizes individual achievement by one reporter in covering education, demonstrating skills in covering a wide range of stories on the education beat. That range of stories includes:
- Breaking news
- Features
- News analysis
- Investigative or public service reporting
The maximum number of print or digital text stories in a beat entry is five. Audio or video can include more than five stories, as long as the total run time of all pieces does not exceed 30 minutes.
For all entries, no more than one submission may have a byline shared with other reporters.
You can submit one story that you have entered in another category. However, you can only add one story from that other category entry. For instance, if you submit three stories in your entry to the News category, you cannot submit two of those stories to the beat category. Please review the rules for further details. Journalists from education-only outlets should submit to the education-only subcategory.
Newsrooms sizes:
- Small: <40 FTE newsroom employees
- Large: 40+ FTE newsroom employees
- Education-only outlets of any size
Data Reporting and Visualization: This category recognizes education journalism that focuses on data analysis, particularly in new and innovative ways. Stories entered into this category should describe where data came from and what reporters did with it, as well as findings and conclusions. Stories should include context that enables readers to evaluate the work.
The entry can include a story or series of up to three stories centered on data; a compelling visualization of data; or a combination of both these approaches. The data used should provide fresh insights into a problem or issue in education.
Newsroom sizes:
- Newsrooms of all sizes
Features: This category honors excellence in reporting and presentations about people. For print, online text and multimedia entries, each entry can consist of one feature story; a package or series of no more than three related pieces. For the radio and television subcategory, it can contain a collection of two-to-10 pieces with a total combined listening or viewing time of less than 15 minutes on a related feature topic. Examples include but are not limited to a profile, narrative or interview, focused on a single topic or theme. Features are generally defined as stories that have a personal, emotional or creative slant and include elements that go beyond the scope of straight factual information found in a hard news story.
Newsroom sizes:
- Small: <40 FTE newsroom employees
- Large: 40+ FTE newsroom employees
- Broadcast: radio or television reporting of any newsroom size.
- Education-only outlets of any size.
Investigative & Public Service: This category recognizes journalism that goes beyond routine reporting and fact-checking to uncover previously hidden or little-known information or wrongdoing. This category also recognizes journalism that makes a substantive contribution to the public’s understanding of critical issues and/or makes a demonstrable positive impact on individuals or a community. Entries can include up to four stories.
Newsroom sizes:
- Small: <40 FTE newsroom employees
- Large: 40+ FTE newsroom employees
- Education-only outlets of any size.
News: This category recognizes excellence in the coverage of breaking news, current events or news analysis. For print, online and multimedia news organizations, the entry can consist of a single piece, or a cohesive package or series. The package or series should include no more than three parts. For the radio or television broadcast subcategory, the entry can contain two-to-10 stories around a breaking news story or current event. Total submission time limit may not exceed 15 minutes. Besides the standard factors, judges in this category may also consider time constraints reporters faced in covering breaking news.
Newsrooms sizes:
- Small: <40 FTE newsroom employees
- Large: 40+ FTE newsroom employees
- Education-only outlets of any size.
- Broadcast: radio or television reporting of any size.
Podcast: The podcast category recognizes long-form audio storytelling about education. Submissions should include up to three education-related segments of a serialized podcast or stand-alone series centered on an education topic. The podcast should contain original reporting, not just discussion of a topic. Judges may consider originality, overall production quality, and innovative use of storytelling techniques. A maximum of one hour of audio may be submitted.
Newsroom sizes:
- Newsrooms of all sizes
Student Journalism: This category recognizes work by undergraduate college students and high school students for either the school’s news outlet or for a student-run independent news organization. The work submitted should specifically focus on an education-related topic, investigation or event. Coverage does not include stories generated for internships. Up to three related stories may be submitted. Graduate students may submit their work in all other categories. Only students may enter, not their professional supervisors/advisers.
Newsroom types:
- High school newsrooms
- College newsrooms (undergraduates only)
- Student-run independent newsrooms
Judging Criteria
EWA Awards entries will be judged on criteria that include quality of writing and reporting, freshness and depth of insights, clarity of explanation, and innovation and effectiveness of presentation.
Entrants
Participation in the EWA Awards is limited to professional journalists published, posted or aired by independent news outlets in 2024. According to the EWA Bylaws, Article II, Section 1.1, a journalist is an individual whose primary professional activity involves reporting, writing, producing, editing, or otherwise preparing the news and editorial content for independent news media. A freelancer’s primary body of work must be for independent news media. All entrants must have met these eligibility requirements at the time the entry was produced. Officers and members of the Board of Directors of the Education Writers Association may enter but are not eligible to win cash awards in the competition.
EWA staff is available to answer questions or concerns about the awards, including eligibility and the revised categories. Please email your queries to awards@ewa.org.
