2024 The Victor K. McElheny Award

The Victor K. McElheny award honors outstanding coverage of science, public-health, technology, and environmental issues at the local or regional level — a special concern of the Knight Science Journalism Program’s founder, Victor K. McElheny, whose generous gift helped endow the award.

2024 Victor K. McElheny Award is made possible by the generous support of Victor K. McElheny and his wife, Ruth McElheny, and the Rita Allen Foundation.

Benefits of 2024 Victor K. McElheny Award

• Each year, the award honors a single entry — be it a series or standalone piece — with a $10,000 prize.

Eligibility for 2024 Victor K. McElheny Award

• Freelance or staff journalists working for independent news organizations are welcome to submit their work. Media outlets may also submit entries on journalists’ behalf.
• As the award honors small and regional markets in the United States, media outlets must be based in the United States.
• Outlets with a large staff and emphasis on a national audience are not eligible for the award.
• They welcome works of local or regional journalism from the preceding calendar year that include substantial reporting on issues relating to science, public health, technology, or the environment. Submissions may be individual pieces, or a series of up to three works on a related theme. Entries may be works of broadcast, print, or digital journalism. Audio and video entries should be no longer than 60 minutes in total.

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Judging Criteria

Submissions will be judged by a panel of distinguished science journalists. Emphasis will be put on investigative, community-service, and compelling narrative journalism that breaks new ground and makes a difference. In the words of Victor McElheny: “The prize can help illustrate a continuing contribution to the maximum level of public understanding of what technology and science are achieving, and what these achievements imply for humanity.”

Also Check: 2024 Hans Hartwig Ruthenberg- Graduate Award

Who can enter?

Freelance or staff journalists working for independent news organizations are welcome to submit their work. Media outlets may also submit entries on journalists’ behalf.

Application

Entrants will complete a submission form, uploading their work using the specified file formats or provide a permanent URL. The submission form will open on December 1, 2023 and close on January 31, 2024.

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