Applications for the Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards in New York in 2023 are currently open.
Covering Climate Now collaborates with journalists and newsrooms to produce more informed and urgent climate stories, to make climate a part of every beat in the newsroom — from politics and weather to business and culture — and to drive a public conversation that creates an engaged public. Mindful of the media’s responsibility to inform the public and hold power to account, we advise newsrooms, share best practices, and provide reporting resources that help journalists ground their coverage in science, while producing stories that resonate with audiences.
Worth of Award
- Solutions Story of the Year: This special award will recognize work that helps the public learn more about solutions to the climate crisis. As judges consider entries across all categories, they will look for reporting that tells the whole story and elevates solutions. Excellent examples of climate solutions reporting will address the following questions: What is the proposed solution? What evidence exists that the solution is working, or will work? What insights about the solution can be reported that could be helpful? What are the limitations of the solution?
- Climate Justice Story of the Year: This special award will recognize work that highlights the out sized burden of climate change on marginalized groups. This includes Indigenous people, communities of colour, women, children, and the poor — and also the role these groups sometimes play in addressing the climate crisis.
- Investigative Report of the Year: This special award will recognize an in-depth report that reveals important, previously unknown facts and/or holds power to account. Judges will look across all categories of submissions to consider stories that use a variety of investigative tools such as public record reviews, data crunching, and extensive historical research to break new ground or offer a comprehensive take on an under reported story.
Eligibility
- Submissions are accepted from journalists everywhere, representing news outlets big and small and from those working as freelancers. Outlets may also submit entries that include pieces produced by several journalists.
- If the original work is not in English, please provide English-language translations in addition to the original work as an attachment.
- All eligible work must have been published or broadcast in 2022. Stories must be about climate change, not just the environment.
Entries will be considered in the following categories and subcategories:
- Writing — Short- and Long-form work; Newsletters; and Commentary
- Audio — Short- and Long-form work; and Radio or Podcast Series
- Video — Short- and Long-form work; and Documentary
- Multimedia
- Photography
- Social Media
- Engagement Journalism
- Emerging Journalist
- Student Journalist
In addition to awarding honors for work in these categories, the judges will be looking across all media categories to recognize work for additional honors —
- “Climate Justice Story of the Year”,
- “Solutions Story of the Year”, and
- “Investigative Report of the Year”.
How to Apply
In all categories a link is preferred. When a link is not available, please submit standard file types in all categories.
For
- written content, .pdf is preferred.
- audio content, .mp3 or .m4a are preferred.
- video, .mp4, .wmv, or .mov are preferred.
- photography, .jpeg, .png, or .pdf are preferred (proof of publication is necessary for all submitted photographs).
Deadline: Entries for the Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards will close at midnight on March 15, 2023.