This internship grant awards $1,500 each to up to two college juniors, seniors or graduate students who have secured an internship at a news outlet. Students from the Pacific Northwest or who attend a Northwest college or university are especially encouraged to apply, though a Northwest connection alone does not determine who receives a grant. Applicants who will be interning at small to medium sized outlets will receive priority. 

Eligibility and Rules

• Currently enrolled full-time at an accredited community college, junior college, college or university
• Must have secured a summer internship before applying for the internship grant. The stipend must be used for living expenses and/or transportation during your internship and may not be used for any college expenses. Grantees will be required to sign an agreement acknowledging this.
• Must have a serious interest in pursuing journalism as a career
• Must be an active AAJA member  

Application Requirements

• Resume
• One letter of recommendation
• A letter verifying your summer internship
• A brief statement describing any financial need
• In 500 words or less, state what kind of experience do you expect as an intern, describe your career goals and why AAJA's mission is important to you.

DEADLINE:

The application deadline is 11:59PM PT on April 30, 2026. Questions? Email support@aaja.org.

This internship grant awards $1,000 to a student broadcaster who has secured an internship at a news outlet, or journalists interested in or working in local TV news. 

Eligibility:

• Must be a full-time college student or have graduated within the last year
• Must secure a summer internship, verified by March 31, 2026
• The stipend must be used for living expenses and/or transportation during your internship
• Must be an active AAJA member

Application Requirements:

• Resume
• One letter of recommendation
• A letter verifying your summer internship before March 31, 2026
• A brief statement describing any financial need
• In 500 words or less, state why you want to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, what you hope to gain from your internship experience, and why AAJA’s mission is important to you.

Deadline: The application deadline is 11:59 PT on January 21. 2026. Questions? Email support@aaja.org.

Dinah Eng Leadership Fellowship Grant

This grant awards funds to current AAJA members in pursuit of professional development. Applicants must be currently enrolled or accepted into a professional development program. 

Candidates must commit to submitting a post for the AAJA website at the end of their training experience that highlights how the fellowship advanced them along their career path.

Eligibility

• Must have an active AAJA membership
• Must demonstrate leadership potential, or currently hold a management position
• Must have a serious interest in continuing pursuing journalism as a career

Application Requirements

• Resume
• One letter of recommendation
• A letter verifying your acceptance into a professional development program
• A brief statement describing any financial need
• In 500 words or less, state your career goals and why AAJA's mission is important to you.

DEADLINE: The application is open throughout the year, and awarded to multiple recipients up to twice a year. 

Deadline has passed to be considered for funds towards AAJA ELP 2026. 

Questions? Email support@aaja.org.

This award recognizes excellence in a news story (or series of stories) of national, regional or local significance. Stories will be judged for compelling subject matter, strength of reporting and sourcing, and fresh angles of topics with heavy media coverage. Submissions are welcome from journalists, newsrooms, wire services, magazines, journals and other professional outlets.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award recognizes excellence in feature reporting. An outstanding feature reveals a subject of human or cultural interest through in-depth storytelling. As important as the reporting is the quality of the writing. Submissions are welcome from journalists, newsrooms, wire services, magazines, journals and other professional outlets.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit ourwebsite.

This award recognizes excellence in reporting a news or feature story by a student journalist for a student or professional outlet. Stories will be judged on strength of subject matter, reporting and storytelling skills. Stories must have been published when the writer was a high school, undergraduate or graduate student.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors excellence in video storytelling of a single video piece, segment or series of videos not exceeding 10 minutes in total run time. Eligible pieces must have been aired (or published) on professional news or video-based outlets, including but not limited to commercial or public broadcast TV stations, cable channels, digital platforms, or streaming services. News and feature submissions are eligible. Talent compilation reels will not be considered for this award.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors excellence in long-form video and newscast storytelling exceeding 10 minutes in total run time. Submissions are open to standalone packages, documentaries, newscasts and specials. Eligible pieces must have been aired (or published) on professional news or video-based outlets, including but not limited to commercial or public broadcast TV stations, cable channels, digital platforms and streaming services. Documentaries that have not aired or been published but have been selected for screening at a competitive film festival are eligible. This category is open to both news and feature submissions. Talent compilation reels will not be considered for this award.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors excellence in video storytelling of a single video piece, segment or series of videos created for social media, not exceeding 10 minutes in total run time. Eligible pieces must have been aired (or published) on professional news or video-based outlets’ social media accounts. News, feature and explanatory submissions are eligible.Talent compilation reels will not be considered for this award.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors excellence in video storytelling of a single video piece or series produced by students not exceeding 30 minutes in total run time. Social videos submitted – either as a single video or as a series – must not exceed 10 minutes total. Video(s) must have been published when the creator was a high school, undergraduate, or graduate student. Video pieces produced for social media, student publications and professional outlets are eligible.  This category is open to news and feature submissions.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors excellence in audio storytelling of a single piece or segment not exceeding 60 minutes, including radio, podcasts and other audio works. The judges will consider the journalism and storytelling behind the submissions, including production quality and storytelling techniques.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors excellence in long-form journalism told through audio, including radio, podcasts, shows and other audio works. Submissions are open to single pieces exceeding 60 minutes or a series. Whether a single piece of long-form journalism, a series or portion of a series, submissions must not exceed 3 hours. For a series exceeding 3 hours, please submit a selection of episodes no longer than 3 hours that best represents your work. The judges will consider the reporting, production and storytelling.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors student excellence in journalism told through audio, including radio, podcasts and other audio works. The judges will consider the reporting, production and storytelling. Submissions are open to single pieces, segments or a series. Whether a single piece, segment, a series or portion of a series, submissions must not exceed 3 hours. For a series exceeding 3 hours, please submit a selection of episodes no longer than 3 hours that best represents your work. Audio stories must have been published when the creator was a high school, undergraduate or graduate student.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors excellence in planning and executing an audience engagement campaign. This could include outreach before writing a story — for instance, searching for sources of anecdotes — or promotion of a story or series after publication. Engagement can include formats ranging from social media posts to texting campaigns to virtual events. 

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit ourwebsite.

This award honors excellence in immersive or interactive storytelling through the creative use of web design and backend coding.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors outstanding journalism that centers around data. This could include a story driven by data analysis, or one that prominently features data or data visualizations.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors excellence in audience engagement, data journalism and immersive storytelling by students. Work must have been produced when the creator was a high school, undergraduate or graduate student.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories

To learn more, visit ourwebsite.

This award recognizes outstanding achievements in investigative journalism, with a focus on storytelling and impact. This award is open to all mediums, including single pieces of journalism or multi-part series.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2025 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2024).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2024.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2023-2024 is eligible for the 2025 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2024 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors best-in-class sports journalism, including but not limited to breaking news, game coverage or analysis, athlete profiles and features and investigations.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award recognizes outstanding achievements in scientific, environmental or health-related journalism.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award recognizes outstanding achievements in arts, culture and entertainment journalism, including but not limited to features, investigations, profiles and reviews.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories

To learn more, visit our website.

This award recognizes outstanding achievement in business, economic, consumer and technology coverage.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award recognizes outstanding journalism about elections, the elections process, campaigns, candidates, voters and beyond at the local, state or national level. Pieces will be gauged based on their level of depth and impact. Work that shows significance to the AAPI community is encouraged but not required.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award recognizes the finest international reporting by our members. Eligible entries must be published in English. We accept submissions in all media formats. They can be a single story or a series of stories in a reporting project in any media format.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

This award honors journalism that illuminates the complexity and humanity of Indigenous Pacific Islander communities and experiences. Submissions to this category must center around Pacific Islander stories. This award specifically recognizes journalism about Pacific Islanders, though PI-centered journalism will be considered in any category to which it is submitted and for which it is eligible. In the spirit of PI inclusion, Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) members may also submit PI journalism for consideration.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2025 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2024). 

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2024.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2023-2024 is eligible for the 2025 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2024 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards. 

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories). 

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity. 

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member. 

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories. 

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories. 

To learn more, visit our website.

This award recognizes outstanding opinions, editorials, essays and writings with distinct points of view. We will also accept commentary pieces in different formats, such as audio, illustrations or video.

Deadline for submission February 12, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

General Eligibility Requirements

Entries that are eligible for the 2026 AAJA Journalism Excellence Awards were published or aired between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31 of the previous year (2025).

Photo(s) must have been either created or initially published between January 1st and December 31st of 2025.

For a series or project that spans multiple years, you may submit the project one time for one of the eligible years. For instance, a project that was published in 2024-2025 is eligible for the 2026 awards as long as it wasn’t entered in AAJA’s 2025 Journalism Excellence Awards. Works previously entered into the AAJA Awards will not be considered.

Work must be published in English (or in the case of video, with English subtitles).

It must fall in the listed categories for the Journalism Excellence Awards.

It must not be student work (except for Student Journalism categories).

Entrants are limited to AAJA members only, however, journalists may join the organization prior to submitting their awards application. AAJA is open to all journalists, regardless of ethnic or racial identity.

An entry is a journalism project executed by a single journalist or a team of journalists. For team submissions, at least one member of the team who played a significant role in the submitted work must be an AAJA member. The person who submits the award application must be an AAJA member.

Each entered work may only be submitted to one award category. Please use your discretion.

Journalists may submit multiple pieces, but not the same piece to multiple categories.

If the work is part of a series, you may submit up to three pieces from that series together as one entry; this is applicable to the Written Journalism, Online/Digital Journalism and the topical categories.

To learn more, visit our website.

MENTOR with AAJA

Applications to be part of the 2026 Mentor Match cohort are now open, for both mentors and mentees to apply! 

• Mentor applications close on February 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

By March, final matches will be notified and soon after, a first conference call will be held.  

Mentors and mentees must have a paid, active AAJA membership to participate in the program. To be an eligible candidate, become an AAJA member here.

Applications Applications to be part of the 2026 Mentor Match cohort are now open, for both mentors and mentees to apply!  

• Mentee applications close on February 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT. 
• Mentor applications close on February 24, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

By the end of March, final matches will be notified and soon after, a first conference call will be held. Mentors and mentees must have a paid, active AAJA membership to participate in the program. To be an eligible candidate, become an AAJA member here.