Deadline: 08-Dec-2025
Applications are now open for the AACR June L. Biedler Prize to recognize and showcase outstanding examples of cancer journalism by individual professional journalists.
The purpose of the prize is to raise awareness of the media’s critical role in educating the public about cancer, cancer research, cancer advocacy, or cancer policy. The prize provides an unrestricted cash award of $5,000 and a commemorative award. Awardees will be able to accept the prize during the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego, April 17-22, 2026.
An applicant can submit in any of the following categories: Print and Online, which includes newspapers, magazines, and online/multimedia; and Broadcast, which includes television, radio, and podcasts. Each submission may only be considered for one category as selected by the candidate in his or her application form.
The prize is open to professional journalists working in print, broadcast, and online platforms that target the general public. Candidacy is open to journalists whose primary audience is the lay public. Submissions must be original, published or broadcast between December 1, 2024, and November 30, 2025, and must be in or accurately translated into English. The submission must enhance the public’s understanding of cancer, cancer research, cancer advocacy, or cancer policy. While the prize honors individual journalists, up to two co-contributors can be included, who will share the cash prize and each receive a commemorative award. Institutions and organizations are not eligible for the prize.
The judging criteria include the ability to educate the public, accuracy in translating science, significance and timeliness, creativity, clarity, and overall potential for significant impact. Submissions are judged by a panel of journalists, communications faculty, cancer researchers, and patient advocates. Since its inception, 57 journalists from around the world have received this award.
Judging panels will evaluate eligible submissions according to the following criteria: outstanding ability to educate the public about cancer, cancer research, or cancer policy; effective and accurate translation of cancer science or cancer policy; significance and timeliness of the associated subject; creativity and novelty of the reporting; clarity, precision, and elegance of language used within body of work; ability to inform the reader on the associated topic area; ability to break new ground and/or highlight the need for further attention or support of an underrepresented or misunderstood subject; and overall potential for significant impact on the understanding of cancer, cancer research, and/or cancer policy.
Submissions may be placed by an individual, whether an AACR member or nonmember. Applicants must maintain strict confidentiality of their submissions; all applications must be submitted using AACR’s electronic award nomination platform. Paper applications will not be accepted. Eligible submissions must include applicant information and indication of prize category, an Impact Statement written in English (maximum 200 words), which succinctly describes the submitted body of work and the impact of the submission on enhancing the public’s understanding of cancer, cancer research, or cancer policy, and an electronic version of the submitted body of work. An English translation will need to be provided for all non-English pieces.
For more information, visit AACR.
