SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW OPEN

The MOLLY Investigative Journalism Prize is an annual award of $5,000, open to national print and digital outlets.

The deadline for submissions is April 5, 2024.

General rules for submitting an entry appear below. For more information on the award, becoming a sponsor, attending the award gala or contributing to the MOLLY Prize fund, please contact [email protected]

Rules

  • Submissions must consist of material originally published in a U.S.-based publication in print or as part of an online magazine (Note: This does not include unedited blogs) between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. Entries must be received by April 5, 2024.
  • One entry per individual will be accepted.
  • Individual writers may enter on their own or be entered by the publication in which the work appeared.
  • Multiple bylines for a single entry are acceptable.
  • All entries for the MOLLY Investigative Prize will be judged on the basis of either a single piece or a series of up to four related articles.
  • Judges will value work that reflects Molly’s ability to challenge conventional wisdom, to look critically at the issues of the day — particularly those relating to civil liberties and social justice — with compassion, and to tell the stories that need telling.

How to submit:

  • Use the form below to submit entries and pay the fee.

If you or your organization is struggling to pay the fee, or the publishing outlet has closed since publication, please contact [email protected], as we may have funds available to help cover your submission costs.

Please note: Work that has appeared in the Texas Observer is ineligible in order to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.

Judges

Judging will be conducted by a panel of journalists and writers from around the country. Judges will not judge work generated by their respective publications.

Past Winners

2022
Meribah Knight and Ken Armstrong of Nashville Public Radio and ProPublica – Investigative Journalism Prize

Ross Ramsey, Texas Tribune – Excellence in Political Commentary/Columns

2021
Katie Engelhart, The California Sunday Magazine – Investigative Journalism Prize

Kyle Whitmire, Alabama Media Group – Excellence in Political Commentary/Columns

2020: Pamela Colloff, ProPublica

2019: Hannah Dreier, ProPublica

2018: Michael Grabell & Howard Berkes, ProPublica/NPR

2017: Shane Bauer, Mother Jones

2016: JosephNeff, the News & Observer

2015: Esther Kaplan, the Virginia Quarterly Review

2014: Dave Philipps, The Gazette (Colorado Springs)

2013: Sarah Stillman, the New Yorker

2012: Trevor Aaronson, Mother Jones

2011: Jeff Sharlet, Harper’s Magazine

2010: A.C. Thompson, ProPublica

2009: Rick Casey, the Houston Chronicle

2008: Diane Suchetka, The Cleveland Plain Dealer