Submit Your Best Education Reporting to 2026 EWA Awards

The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce the 2026 National Awards for Education Reporting. Journalists may submit entries from Nov. 10, 2026 to Jan. 7, 2027 at 6 p.m. Eastern. 

Journalists who published work in 2025 on any education topic in any medium are encouraged to enter EWA’s annual journalism contest, which honors the best education reporting across all news media. The awards program offers a total of 19 prizes, with cash awards ranging from $750 to $5,000.

EWA’s journalism competition aims to highlight the outstanding reporters working to illuminate what happens in classrooms, schools, colleges, and universities, as well as uncover inequities and disparities in the system and highlight solutions.

Entry Fees and Deadlines

• Early deadline: $75 for members and $125 for nonmembers to enter the awards until Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. Eastern. (Membership is free.)
• Final deadline: $125 for members and $175 for nonmembers to enter the awards until Jan. 7, 2027 at 6 p.m. Eastern. 
• The student journalism category is $25.
• Membership deadlines: Apply for EWA membership by Dec. 4 to be eligible for the early deadline membership discount, or become a member by Dec. 15 to be eligible for the final deadline membership discount.

EWA Awards Categories

EWA plans to present 18 awards winners with $750 cash prizes in eight categories: beat reporting; broadcast; data reporting & visualization; explanatory journalism; feature; investigative reporting; podcast and student journalism.

This includes a new addition to the beat reporting category this year: a sub-category for early career beat reporting, recognizing outstanding work by journalists with no more than two years’ experience covering education, and no more than five years in the journalism profession.

The three winners of the education-only, small, and large newsroom beat reporting categories will be eligible for the Ronald D. Moskowitz Prize for Outstanding Beat Reporting, which comes with an additional $2,500. Winners of the other categories and divisions will be considered for the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting. The grand prize comes with $5,000.

Entries will be judged on criteria that include the quality of writing and reporting, freshness and depth of insights, clarity of explanation, impact, and innovation of presentation.

For more information on the awards, visit EWA Awards or contact EWA at awards@ewa.org.

About the Education Writers Association

The Education Writers Association (EWA) advances rigorous journalism that informs the public and holds accountable the people, policies, and systems shaping students’ lives.Member journalists benefit from the organization’s high-quality programs of training, information, support and recognition.