Deadline: 31-Jan-2026
The Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism honors work that evaluates news media coverage of significant subjects or issues.
The focus areas include constructively critical articles, books, and electronic and online media reports; academic and other research; and reports by media ombudsmen and journalism watchdog groups. Entrants are judged by professionals from journalism and journalism education.
The winner of the award receives a $2,500 honorarium and is expected to attend the award ceremony on the Penn State campus in September 2025, where they will speak on the subject for which they have been honored.
Eligible contributions include all significant work, current or cumulative, consistent with the award’s purposes from whatever source, media or otherwise, in the United States. The nomination should include work done, completed or ongoing, within the calendar year. Both individuals and media organizations, including newspapers, periodicals, and broadcast or cable stations, are eligible for recognition.
Anyone may submit an entry on behalf of an individual or organization, with no formal application forms required. Each entry must include a letter describing the nature and results of the work, along with relevant published or aired material or other necessary documentation. Links to completed work available online are also acceptable. In the case of cumulative work, entrants should limit submissions to representative examples.
The deadline for materials published in 2025 is January 31, 2026.
For more information, visit The Pennsylvania State University.