The Annual Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize Competition Call For Entries

January 16, 2019

THE TOMORROW SHOW -- Pictured: Newsman Daniel Schorr during an interview on July 9, 1979 -- Photo by: Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank

WBUR invites public radio journalists age 35 and under to submit entries for the annual Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Submissions should contribute to the audience’s understanding of a significant issue and demonstrate creativity and initiative while adhering scrupulously to the highest standards of journalism.

Eligible works will have been broadcast or published between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2019. The $5,000 Schorr Prize – sponsored by WBUR and Boston University, and funded by Jim and Nancy Bildner – recognizes a rising star in public radio and seeks to inspire a new generation of journalists to stretch the boundaries of the medium. Complete guidelines are online at wbur.org.

The award is named for the late Daniel Schorr, who gave American journalism a lifetime of commitment through his insight, intelligence and integrity. Schorr believed strongly in supporting talented journalists as they rose through the ranks of public radio. The selected Schorr Prize winner will be honored at the WBUR Gala which takes place on May 11 at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

The prize last year was awarded Wilson Sayre, previously a reporter at WLRN, Miami’s NPR member station. Sayre’s winning entry, “Cell 1: Florida’s Death Penalty In Limbo,” built a common understanding of what the death penalty entails in Florida following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2016 that threw the state’s death penalty into limbo - putting the death sentence on hold. At WLRN, Sayre spent almost two years researching the ins and outs of Florida’s death penalty and what being in limbo meant for the 384 people on Death Row in the state, their families and the victims’ families.

Past Schorr Prize winners also include Reporter Sarah Gonzalez (2016), now host and reporter with NPR’s Planet Money; Patrick Madden, now WAMU Senior Reporter (2015); Reporter Devin Katayama, now host of KQED’s The Bay podcast (2014); Becky Vevea, now WBEZ Political Reporter (2013); Colorado Public Radio reporter Grace Hood (2012); David Greene, now a Morning Edition host for NPR (2011); Ailsa Chang, now an All Things Considered host for NPR (2010); Chana Joffe-Walt, now producer/reporter for This American Life (2009); Guy Raz, now host of NPR shows “How I Built This,” “TED Radio Hour” and “Wow In the World” (2008); and NPR investigative correspondent Laura Sullivan (2007).

All entries must be received at or before 5 p.m. EST on Friday, March 20, 2019.

Submit your entry online here.