Applicants are invited to apply for the David Nyhan Prize, which honors journalists who illuminate the stories behind politics and policymaking.
Donor Name: Shorenstein Center
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes
Deadline: 09/01/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Journalists who peel back the curtain on how public policy really works, showing who is pulling the political levers, what it means for people’s everyday lives in terms they can understand, and suggesting how the practice of governing can be made more fair for all.
Categories
- The Nyhan Prize for Public Policy Journalism honors mid-career and later-career journalists who can demonstrate a substantial body of work over time that fits the criteria for the prize.
- The David Nyhan Emerging Talent Journalism Award honors early career and student journalists who show great early success, potential, and drive to do the kind of journalism the prize honors.
- Both categories have similar criteria, with the distinction being on the size of the nominee’s body of work and length of time they have been in the field.
Funding Information
The winner of the David Nyhan Prize for Public Policy Journalism receives $4,000. The winner of the David Nyhan Emerging Talent Journalism Prize receives $1,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- U.S.-based journalists working in any medium (including print, digital, audio, video, or a combination) and for any type of organization, including freelancers and self-employed journalists, are eligible.
- Both categories celebrate a journalist’s body of work, not individual reporting projects. Work samples should be submitted that reflect the nominee’s longterm commitment to the kind of reporting the prizes honor.
- Nominees for the prize are assessed primarily on the examples submitted as part of their nomination. This work should be substantive, human-centered, talented, and fearless.
- Submitted work can include reported pieces and/or opinion or commentary, but the latter should include substantial original reporting.
- Work must be in English, or translations must be submitted as part of the nomination.
- For the purposes of the Nyhan Prize, “public policy journalism” includes coverage of politics (both elections and the politics of legislating) as well as the creation (legislative and regulatory) and implementation of public policy.
- If a nominee is not regularly publishing via a news publication with editorial oversight, they must demonstrate knowledge of and adherence to journalistic standards and practices in their work. This could include a background and/or education in journalism, and/or a statement that they follow journalistic standards, ethics, and/or practices in their work.
- There is no set age or experience cut off for either category, however emerging talent nominees will usually have less than 10 years of experience in journalism, and career award nominees will generally have more than 10 years experience.
- Up to two reporting partners may be submitted as a joint nomination if they work together regularly and all submitted work is by-lined by both partners. The Nyhan prize does not accept nominations for group or collaborative journalism projects.
For more information, visit Shorenstein Center.
