SEJ 2025 Awards: How To Enter

ON-TIME DEADLINE TO ENTER: June 30, 2025
Late deadline: July 15, 2025. Extra fees apply.

 

This year SEJ will again ask contest entrants two questions to help further SEJ’s work to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in journalism.

One is to share whether their news outlets publicly post demographic data on the diversity of their staff, including a breakdown of their composition by gender and race/ethnicity. The other is whether their news outlets have participated in the News Leaders Association diversity survey, or if they plan to participate in the next survey.

Gathering this information is a step toward addressing inequities for people of color and other groups that remain underrepresented in newsrooms. It also provides a benchmark for measuring news organizations’ progress toward reflecting the communities they serve.

The questions are on the contest payment form, and answers will not be seen by judges and screeners or used in any way to evaluate entries for the 2025 awards.

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How to enter SEJ Awards for these categories:

Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting, Large/Small
Outstanding Beat Reporting, Large/Small
Outstanding Feature Story, Large/Small
Outstanding Explanatory Reporting, Large/Small

See full category descriptions below.

(For information on entering the other two categories, click below.)

Rachel Carson Environment Book category
Outstanding Student Reporting category

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SEJ Member Discount Fee: $45

Not sure you're current with dues? Check here: sej.memberclicks.net/my-profile

Not a member? Nonmembers can enter for $110. But why not join? Journalists and professors can Join SEJ for just $40 ($70 after the first year.)

Member Benefits: Low awards entry fee, low registration rates for annual conferences, $0 fee for applying for the Fund for Environmental Journalism support for reporters, members-only listservs for discussing all things journalism and environment, mentoring program and much more. Click the Join SEJ link to find out what SEJ can do for you. Please read the membership application thoughtfully to avoid applying if you don't qualify. Individuals engaged in any kind of paid public relations work concerning environmental issues are not eligible for membership.

There are two forms to complete for the contest: A payment form and the contest entry form for the category you're entering. Be sure to enter the correct category.

NOTE: The member rate applies only for reporters with a byline on the entry, and does not apply if a member's log-in is used to enter a non-member's work. 

GATHER THESE MATERIALS BEFORE ENTERING

• A cover letter is mandatory in all categories.
  • Cover letters can be submitted by the entrant or any other individual familiar with the entry. 
  • Your cover letter should help judges understand difficulties the reporter faced, impacts of the story or other information that would interest judges.
  • You can type it or paste it into the field or uploaded as a file.
• Contact information for all reporters who have a byline in your entry, photographer, graphic designer and anyone else who should be listed for the award.
  • First and last name, email address and role in the stories entered
• Your story links:
  • Related stories and sidebars published or aired the same day count as one story. Group same-day stories and sidebars together in your cover letter.
  • If you're using URLs for judges to access stories, link them in the Story Links field on the entry form. 
  • Do not use a general link that contains a list of stories, as that list might contain stories you're not submitting.
  • If your story links are posted behind a paywall, provide log-in information that will be good through November. Make sure judges can access your stories! Many sites allow up to three stories before requiring payment. For these sites, judges will not be able to access more than three stories or revisit any of your stories. In this case, providing log-in access codes is a must. 
• PDFs are also accepted.
  • You can upload up to five PDFs for Beat, Explanatory and Investigative categorioes, and one PDF for the Feature Story category.
  • Combine PDFs of stories, related stories and sidebars that were published or aired on the same day. (Help with combining PDFs.)
• Transcripts for recorded stories: Required if you enter radio or television stories, or if your online entry includes audio/video components.
• Run time for TV or radio stories: Run time for all recorded stories in your entry may not exceed a combined total of 60 minutes.
• ​Credit card for online payment. (PayPal is also accepted. See payment info below.)

NEXT STEPS

• Payment and Entry Forms (payment link below): All entrants must complete an online payment form and an online entry form.
• After submitting your payment, write down your invoice number. You'll need it to enter the contest.
• Once you click Submit on the payment form, a page will open with links to the category entry forms.
• Watch for your payment confirmation.
  • The payment confirmation contains the link to the categories page with the entry forms and your invoice number.
  • If you don't see your confirmation email, check your spam. (Add SEJ to your contacts to help avoid spam hazards.)
• The contest entry site is Submittable.com. If you've entered this contest before, you already have a profile there. Otherwise, you'll be asked to register for the site before you can proceed. Registration is free.
• Read the rules. Some disqualifying rules are listed on the entry forms, but it's best if you are familiar with the rules of the contest.
• You can edit your entry. You'll receive an automatic response from Submittable after submitting your entry confirming the category you entered and that your entry has been received. It contains instructions on how to access your entry to make changes or to check the progress of your entry.
• Then comes the wait. The judges' deadline is mid-September. We'll let winners know ASAP after that and will announce after the winners have been contacted.

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PAYMENT INFORMATION

 

AMEX, Visa, Mastercard and PayPal accepted. US funds only. Entry fees are not refundable.

• $45 US Funds: Member Rate (July 1 - July 15: $90)
• $110 US Funds: Non-Member Rate (July 1 - July 15: $220)
• $10 US Funds: Discounted entry fee for use by journalists residing and working locally in low-to-middle-income-economy countries as designated by World Bank rankings. (July 1 - July 15: $20)

Only members of SEJ may enter at the member rate. SEJ member rate applies only if the member has a byline on at least one of the entered stories or is otherwise contributing to the entry (photographer, graphics artist, data reporter, etc. Members cannot be included on the team solely to make the entry eligible for the member rate. If you are unsure of your membership status, please check your profile, or contact SEJ at sej@sej.org.

You can enter the contest multiple times, but...

• A SEPARATE ENTRY FEE IS REQUIRED FOR EACH ENTRY. Go to the entry payment form for each time you enter the contest.
• Watch for your payment confirmation window. It contains your invoice number — needed for the entry form — and the link to the contest entry forms.
• You'll need a new invoice number for each time you enter.
• WATCH FOR YOUR EMAILED PAYMENT CONFIRMATION. It has your invoice number (needed for the entry form) and the link to the entry forms.

Reminder: SEJ membership must be current to access the SEJ member rate. If membership dues or awards fees pose a barrier, current or lapsed members can request a fee-waiver from the SEJ Members in Need fund. If you'd like to help, you can make a donation to the fund here.

START HERE:

PAY ENTRY FEE

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The categories for the contest are as follows:

Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting, Large: An investigative report or series on a single environmental topic, originally published or aired between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. Investigative reporting uses journalistic skills to disclose facts about businesses, government agencies or individuals that, absent the reporting, would not likely be disclosed. Judges will consider the results of the reporting in their deliberations. Up to five stories are allowed. Related stories and sidebars published the same day count as one story. 

Eligibility:

• Print, online and multimedia stories: News organizations with more than 100 full-time editorial employees (including reporters, editors, copy editors, art directors and others directly engaged in producing journalism). If an entry was produced with external resources — contractors, freelancers, etc. — that number must be included when determining size.
• Television and audio: National networks in the U.S. and elsewhere and top 50 television and top 100 audio markets in the U.S. and in equivalent markets outside the U.S.
• Run time for recorded stories: Run time for all video and audio stories in your entry may not exceed a combined total of 60 minutes.
• Small newsgroups collaborating with large newsgroups must enter Large categories.
• Only stories published or aired by the original media outlet are eligible. Republished or rebroadcast stories aren't eligible.
• Online stories edited or altered after April 30, 2025 aren't eligible.

 

Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting, Small: An investigative report or series on a single environmental topic, originally published or aired between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. Investigative reporting uses journalistic skills to disclose facts about businesses, government agencies or other people that, absent the reporting, would not likely be disclosed. Judges will consider the results of the reporting in their deliberations. Up to five stories are allowed. Related stories and sidebars published the same day count as one story. 

Eligibility:

• Print, online and multimedia stories: News organizations with 100 or fewer employees (including all who support production, directly or indirectly). If an entry was produced with external resources — contractors, freelancers, etc. — that number must be included when determining size.
• Television and audio: Below top 50 television and top 100 audio markets in the U.S. and in equivalent markets outside the U.S.
• Run time for recorded stories: Run time for all recorded stories in your entry may not exceed a combined total of 60 minutes
• Small-newsroom entities collaborating with large-newsroom entities qualify as large-newsroom.
• Only stories published or aired by the original media outlet are eligible. Republished or rebroadcast stories aren't eligible.
• Online stories edited or altered after April 30, 2024 aren't eligible.

 

Outstanding Beat Reporting, Large: Three to five broadcast or published news reports and/or commentary on a broad range of environmental topics or a broad range of various issues within a single environmental topic published or aired between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024, may be submitted. Entry must be the work of three journalists maximum, plus a photographer, graphics artist or other individual vital to the development of the stories.

Eligibility:

• Print, online and multimedia stories: News organizations with more than 100 full-time editorial employees (including reporters, editors, copy editors, art directors and others directly engaged in producing journalism). If an entry was produced with external resources — contractors, freelancers, etc. — that number must be included when determining size.
• Television and audio: National networks in the U.S. and elsewhere and top 50 television and top 100 audio markets in the U.S. and in equivalent markets outside the U.S.
• Run time for recorded stories: Run time for all recorded stories in your entry may not exceed a combined total of 60 minutes
• Small-newsroom entities collaborating with large-newsroom entities qualify as large-newsroom.
• Only stories published or aired by the original media outlet are eligible. Republished or rebroadcast stories aren't eligible.
• Online stories edited or altered after April 30, 2024 aren't eligible.

 

Outstanding Beat Reporting, Small: Three to five broadcast or published news reports and/or commentary on a broad range of environmental topics or a broad range of various issues within a single environmental topic published or aired between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024, may be submitted. Entry must be the work of three journalists maximum, plus a photographer, graphics artist or other individual vital to the development of the stories.

Eligibility:

• Print, online and multimedia stories: News organizations with 100 or fewer employees (including all who support production, directly or indirectly). If an entry was produced with external resources — contractors, freelancers, etc. — that number must be included when determining size.
• Television and audio: Below top 50 television and top 100 audio markets in the U.S. and in equivalent markets outside the U.S.
• Run time for recorded stories: Run time for all recorded stories in your entry may not exceed a combined total of 60 minutes
• Small-newsroom entities collaborating with large-newsroom entities qualify as large-newsroom.
• Only stories published or aired by the original media outlet are eligible. Republished or rebroadcast stories aren't eligible.
• Online stories edited or altered after April 30, 2024 aren't eligible.

 

Outstanding Explanatory Reporting, Large: A story, series or occasional series that illuminates a significant, complex environmental subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, storytelling and clear presentation, published or aired by a single news organization. Entries must be published between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. Up to five stories are allowed. Related stories and sidebars published the same day count as one story. 

Eligibility:

• Print, online and multimedia stories: News organizations with more than 100 full-time editorial employees (including reporters, editors, copy editors, art directors and others directly engaged in producing journalism). If an entry was produced with external resources — contractors, freelancers, etc. — that number must be included when determining size.
• Television and audio: National networks in the U.S. and elsewhere and top 50 television and top 100 audio markets in the U.S. and in equivalent markets outside the U.S.
• Run time for recorded stories: Run time for all recorded stories in your entry may not exceed a combined total of 60 minutes
• Small-newsroom entities collaborating with large-newsroom entities qualify as large-newsroom.
• Only stories published or aired by the original media outlet are eligible. Republished or rebroadcast stories aren't eligible.
• Online stories edited or altered after April 30, 2024 aren't eligible.

 

Outstanding Explanatory Reporting, Small: A story, series or occasional series that illuminates a significant, complex environmental subject, demonstrating mastery of the subject, storytelling and clear presentation, published or aired by a single news organization. Entries must be published between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. Up to five stories are allowed. Related stories and sidebars published the same day count as one story. 

Eligibility:

• Print, online and multimedia stories: News organizations with 100 or fewer employees (including all who support production, directly or indirectly). If an entry was produced with external resources — contractors, freelancers, etc. — that number must be included when determining size.
• Television and audio: Below top 50 television and top 100 audio markets in the U.S. and in equivalent markets outside the U.S.
• Run time for recorded stories: Run time for all recorded stories in your entry may not exceed a combined total of 60 minutes
• Small-newsroom entities collaborating with large-newsroom entities qualify as large-newsroom.
• Only stories published or aired by the original media outlet are eligible. Republished or rebroadcast stories aren't eligible.
• Online stories edited or altered after April 30, 2024 aren't eligible.

 

Outstanding Feature Story, Large: Entry must be a single environmental interest story not directly tied to a recent news event, with an emphasis on storytelling. Entries must be published between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. Multi-part stories are prohibited.

Eligibility:

• Print, online and multimedia stories: News organizations with more than 100 full-time editorial employees (including reporters, editors, copy editors, art directors and others directly engaged in producing journalism). If an entry was produced with external resources — contractors, freelancers, etc. — that number must be included when determining size.
• Television and audio: National networks in the U.S. and elsewhere and top 50 television and top 100 audio markets in the U.S. and in equivalent markets outside the U.S.
• Run time for a  story: Run time may not exceed 60 minutes
• Small-newsroom entities collaborating with large-newsroom entities qualify as large-newsroom.
• Only stories published or aired by the original media outlet are eligible. Republished or rebroadcast stories aren't eligible.
• Online stories edited or altered after April 30, 2024 aren't eligible.

 

Outstanding Feature Story, Small: Entry must be a single environmental interest story not directly tied to a recent news event, with an emphasis on storytelling. Entries must be published between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024. Multi-part stories are prohibited.

Eligibility:

• Print, online and multimedia stories: News organizations with 100 or fewer employees (including all who support production, directly or indirectly). If an entry was produced with external resources — contractors, freelancers, etc. — that number must be included when determining size.
• Television and audio: Below top 50 television and top 100 audio markets in the U.S. and in equivalent markets outside the U.S.
• Run time for a recorded story: Run time may not exceed 60 minutes
• Small-newsroom entities collaborating with large-newsroom entities qualify as large-newsroom.
• Only stories published or aired by the original media outlet are eligible. Republished or rebroadcast stories aren't eligible.
• Online stories edited or altered after April 30, 2024 aren't eligible.

 

Back to the main Awards page.