The Dao Prize, funded by the Daofeng and Angela Foundation and launched in conjunction with Young America’s Foundation’s National Journalism Center (NJC), is an annual award founded to recognize excellence in investigative journalism.
Donor Name: National Journalism Center
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes
Deadline: 09/02/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Categories
- The Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism • The Dao Prize for Excellence in Local Journalism
- The Dao Prize for Excellence in Multimedia Journalism
Funding Information
The annual winner will receive a $100,000 prize, divided among team members per the terms to which they agreed upon submitting their application. Two submissions will win $10,000 each as runners-up, one will win $10,000 in the local category, and one will win $10,000 in the multimedia category, which includes podcasts, video, radio, and formats up to the applicant’s discretion. Winners agree to participate in occasional publicity highlighting their award.
Eligibility Criteria
- Each outlet and journalist may submit an unlimited number of stories or pre-defined series published from Sept. 1, 2023 through Sept. 2, 2024.
- Applications are limited to one pre-defined story or series, but there is no limit to the number of applications an outlet or journalist can submit.
- All U.S.-based news publications are welcome to participate. This includes Substack pages, YouTube channels, podcasts, and other multimedia outlets.
Selection
- Submissions will be evaluated on five main criteria: Judges will grade submissions on a ten-point scale in each category, and tally the average for a final score. The judge must cast their vote for the submission with the highest score. Two runners-up to be awarded $10,000 each will be determined based on each judge’s second and third-place stories.
- Applicants may also submit their work for the Dao Prize for Excellence in Local Journalism and the Dao Prize for Excellence in Multimedia Journalism. Multimedia journalism involves published work in online video, audio, or photographic form. Local journalism involves published work focused primarily on a particular community within the U.S. rather than national politics or culture as a whole. (This can include work published in national outlets.) One winner will be selected from both categories, with an award of $10,000 each. In the case of a tie, the board will enter another round of voting.
- Forms will be signed and preserved. Judges will have no subsequent interaction with applicants in regard to their submissions outside the form itself, with the exception of logistical questions. A judge cannot vote for a story from their own news outlet, or for a story they worked on personally. NJC’s board operates on an advisory basis, meaning members serve in their capacity as governors without financial compensation from Young America’s Foundation. Ballots are counted and preserved by a representative of the Foundation’s executive team. NJC’s independent board will exercise sole control over selection of the Dao Prize.
For more information, visit National Journalism Center.
