Hearst Journalism Awards

The Hearst Journalism Awards program is a multi-level awards program that features scholarship money for the winners. To be considered for an award, students must first submit their entries to the Hubbard School using this Award Application Form. 

Writing Competitions

Submit your work using this Award Application Form. An important note for all entries: If you are submitting work in a professional publication that is not affiliated with the school, please provide an email from your editor that verifies the work was fundamentally your own and required only standard editing.

Feature Writing
Deadline: Submit article (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Oct. 31, 2025
Creative feature writing: color or mood article covering news, business, feature or entertainment as opposed to a hard conventional news story or personality profile. Stories should be memorable for their reporting, crafting, creativity and economy of expression. Sidebars subordinate in length and content to the article may be included. 
All articles must be disseminated in print or online or both from Sept. 1, 2024 through Nov. 4, 2025.

Investigative Reporting – Individual or Team
Deadline: Submit article (or notice of its upcoming publication) by March 6, 2026
Investigative entries cover issues of public importance and consist of substantive enterprise reporting focusing on stories that an individual or entity may have tried to keep from public scrutiny. Entries should show excellence in use of key investigative elements including, but not limited to data, artificial intelligence, documents, analysis, experts and storytelling. Submissions should explain any significant actual or potential impact from the reporting. Required: Each submission – from an individual entrant or team – should include a brief description of the reporting process, including how access to essential information was achieved, any use of A.I and noting any special challenges.
All articles must be disseminated in print or online or both from Sept. 1, 2024 through March 11, 2026.

Sports Writing
Deadline: Submit article (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Dec. 12, 2025
A news, feature story or commentary in sports, which must relate to an event or issue, not to a sports personality. Sidebars subordinate in length and content to the article may be included.
All articles must be disseminated in print or online or both from Sept. 1, 2024 through Dec. 16, 2025.

Personality/Profile Writing
Deadline: Submit article (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Jan. 30, 2026
A personality sketch of an individual on or off campus.
All articles must be disseminated in print or online or both from Sept. 1, 2024 through Feb. 3, 2026.

Audio and Television Competitions

Submit your work using this Award Application Form. An important note for all entries: If you are submitting work in a professional publication that is not affiliated with the school, please provide an email from your editor that verifies the work was fundamentally your own and required only standard editing.

Television Features
Deadline: Submit video (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Nov. 14, 2025
Entries must be non-deadline reporting of personalities, events, or issues. Entries may be based on but not limited to public affairs, business, investigations, science, sports or weather. Each entry must consist of at least two reports totaling no more than ten minutes. The reports may be part of a longer newscast, but the entry itself is limited to ten minutes. Entries may be accompanied by multimedia versions of the reports entered as long as they were produced primarily by the entrant. Team reporting is not eligible. The contest entry  must be originating with and produced by the student with primary responsibility for the entry.
Entries must have been disseminated on air or online or both from Sept. 1, 2024 through Nov. 18, 2025.

Television News
Deadline: Submit audio (or notice of its upcoming publication) by March 13, 2026
Entries must be based on coverage of breaking or developing news stories related to campus, community, national or international issues, sports, business, investigative, science, weather or other current newsworthy matters. Reports must have a hard news focus, regardless of subject. Each entry must consist of at least two reports totaling no more than ten minutes. The reports may be part of a longer newscast, but the entry itself is limited to ten minutes. Entries may be accompanied by multimedia versions of the reports entered as long as they were produced primarily by the entrant. Team reporting is not eligible. The contest entry  must be originating with and produced by the student with primary responsibility for the entry.
All entries submitted must have been disseminated on air or online or both from Sept. 1, 2024 through March 17, 2026.

Audio News and Features
Deadline: Submit audio (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Jan. 16, 2026
Entries must be coverage of breaking or developing news stories, and/or non-deadline news, non-deadline reporting of personalities, events, or issues. Entries may be based on but not limited to public affairs, business, investigations, science, sports or weather. Each entry must consist of at least two reports in news and/or features, totaling no more than seven minutes. The reports may part of a longer newscast, but the entry itself is limited to seven minutes. Entries may be accompanied by multimedia versions of the report entered if they were produced primarily by the entrant.
Entries must have been disseminated on air or online or both from Sept. 1, 2024 through Jan. 20, 2026.

NEW: Journalism Podcast
Deadline: Submit podcast (or notice of its upcoming publication) by April 10, 2026.
Podcasts entries should be fact-based audio-driven stories that embody the core principles of journalism and take advantage of the unique strengths of podcasting.  Competitive entries will cover timely, relevant issues with a clear public interest that are well-researched and fairly presented. Submissions may demonstrate originality through tone of voice, pacing, music and/or natural sound to create an atmosphere, emotional connection or tension that makes the podcast more engaging for the audience. Team reporting is not eligible. Episodes must be from a single host who had primary responsibility over content and production. A second entry from a different host in that series may be entered. Submit only one podcast episode per entry, along with a 2-3 sentence description of the podcast. The podcast must be publicly accessible on a podcast platform. Please provide a link or directions to access the podcast on the platform. Entries may be audio-only, or audio with a video component. Only the audio will be judged. If the episode submitted is longer than ten minutes, the judges will review a ten-minute segment. Please indicate the segment you want judged. If there is no indication, the first 10 minutes of the podcast will be judged. The judges may, at their discretion, listen to additional content in the podcast.
Entries must have been disseminated on air or online by April 14, 2026.

Multimedia Competitions

Submit your work using this Award Application Form. An important note for all entries:If you are submitting work in a professional publication that is not affiliated with the school, please provide an email from your editor that verifies the work was fundamentally your own and required only standard editing.

Narrative Video Storytelling 
Deadline: Submit entry (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Nov. 14, 2025
Entries consist of a story on any topic that is told through the medium of video for a digital audience. Judges will consider the uniqueness of presentation, how the work incorporates digital storytelling techniques and the impact and strength of the journalism produced. One video per entrant. Entries are defined as a single piece of journalism executed essentially by one journalist. They may not include dramatization and must have been published on the web.
The entry must have been produced and posted between Sept. 1, 2024 through Nov. 19, 2025.

Innovative Journalism
Deadline: Submit entry (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Jan. 16, 2026
Entries demonstrate original reporting and storytelling using immersive digital tools and techniques. Stories should use emerging media that allow for innovative journalistic approaches. Examples of such tools include (but are not limited to) virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, 360 video, AI, data visualization and animation. Entries should include a short statement that explains how the entry fits this category. Judges will consider the quality of the journalism, innovative use of digital tools and techniques, and originality. One project per entrant.
The entry must have been produced and posted between Sept. 1, 2024 through Jan. 20, 2026.

Enterprise Story – Individual
Deadline: Submit entry (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Feb. 27, 2026
Entries consist of individual reporting based on a single news event or enterprise or explanatory journalism around a newsworthy event or issue. Each entry must consist of at least three components that, together, tell the story. Components may include writing, photographs, audio, video, graphics, data, emerging media and social media. Judges will consider the newsworthiness of the topic, range and execution of digital techniques employed and the quality of the journalism. Entries are defined as a single piece of journalism executed essentially by one journalist. They may not include dramatization and must have been published on the web. One project per entrant.
The entry must have been produced and posted between Sept. 1, 2024 through March 3, 2026.

Enterprise Story—Team
Deadline: Submit entry (or notice of its upcoming publication) by April 10, 2026
Entries consist of team reporting based on a single news event or enterprise or explanatory journalism around a newsworthy event or issue. Each entry must consist of at least three components that, together, tell the story. Components may include writing, photographs, audio, video, graphics, data, emerging media and social media. Judges will consider the newsworthiness of the topic, range and use of digital tools and techniques employed, and the quality of the journalism. Entries may not include dramatization and must have been published on the web. Entrants MUST be undergraduate students (with the exception of minor help from graduate students who may have assisted with the project).  Awards will be shared by the individual undergraduates on the winning teams.
The entry must have been produced and posted between Sept. 1, 2024 through April 14, 2026. 

Photojournalism Competitions

Submit your work using this Award Application Form. An important note for all entries: If you are submitting work in a professional publication that is not affiliated with the school, please provide an email from your editor that verifies the work was fundamentally your own and required only standard editing. Photo Policy: Photos entered may not be digitally altered significantly beyond standard optimization as in cropping, reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast, etc. The contest is journalism.

News and Features
Deadline: Submit entry (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Nov. 7, 2025
An entry consists of a minimum of four images (at least two news and two features) and a maximum of eight images. News: breaking news, general news or news photos relating to sporting events. Features: features, portraits, sports, documentary photography.  
All photographs must have been taken from Sept. 1, 2024 through Nov. 11, 2025. One image from the series must have been disseminated in print or online or both during this time frame.

Picture Story/Series - Visual Journalism
Deadline: Submit entry (or notice of its upcoming publication) by Feb. 6, 2026
Each entry must include one picture story/series (still images) with up to fifteen images on any subject. 
All photographs must have been taken from Sept. 1, 2024 through Feb. 10, 2026. One image from the series must have been disseminated in print or online or both during this time frame.