Hearst Journalism Awards Program
Scholarship Sponsored by Hearst Foundation
Overview
Description: The program comprises 14 journalism competitions for the 2026–2027 school year, spanning multiple formats: writing, photojournalism, audio, television, podcast, and multimedia categories. The set of competitions is designed to recognize student work across traditional and emerging journalistic media. Institutions and students from accredited domestic colleges and universities are eligible to participate under the program rules. Participation supports a broad assessment of student reporting, visual storytelling, and production skills.
- 14 competitions across six media types.
- Includes traditional and multimedia categories.
- Focused on undergraduate student work produced during the eligibility period.
Entry Limits & Financial Support
Entry Limit: Each participating university may submit up to two separate student entries per competition. The limit applies per competition, not per student, so a school may enter two distinct students or student works in each category. Submission caps are intended to keep the judging pool manageable and equitable across institutions. Schools must adhere to the two-entry maximum when preparing their entries.
Award Value: Participating schools receive a $250 stipend for each competition they enter, regardless of whether their entries place. This stipend is awarded per competition entered and is not contingent on outcomes or placements in that competition.
- Maximum of two entries per school, per competition.
- $250 stipend per competition entered, independent of placement.
- Entry limits apply to all competitions unless stated otherwise in special-team categories.
Eligibility
Eligibility: Submissions must have been distributed, published, aired, and/or posted while the entrant was an undergraduate journalism major or minor at a domestic college or university accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). Work produced outside that time frame, or by students from non-ACEJMC-accredited institutions, does not meet eligibility. Photo competitions make an explicit exception: photo entrants are not required to be journalism majors or minors to enter. Entrants should confirm that their work's distribution date and institutional accreditation meet the stated requirements before submitting.
- Work must have been published, aired, or posted during the entrant's undergraduate enrollment.
- Entrants must be enrolled at an ACEJMC-accredited domestic institution, except for photo entrants.
- Photo entrants may participate without journalism major/minor status.
Byline and Team Rules
Rules: Double bylines and group entries are generally prohibited to ensure clear individual recognition. Exceptions are made for specific team competitions: Multimedia IV Team, Team or Individual Investigative Reporting, and Team or Individual Podcast categories allow team entries. Entrants and institutions should review category definitions to determine whether a competition permits team submissions. Compliance with these rules is required at the time of submission and will be enforced during eligibility review.
- Double bylines and group entries are not allowed in most competitions.
- Team entries are permitted only in designated team competitions.
- Confirm category-specific rules before submitting a team entry.