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UK Journalism Awards: A Guide

The UK has a rich landscape of journalism awards, from national press prizes to specialist and human-rights honours. This guide explains what the major awards recognise and how to enter — pointing you to each organiser for current dates and rules.

Last reviewed: Next review due:

How to use this guide. We describe well-established awards and what each recognises, but categories, deadlines, fees, and eligibility change every year — and winners and shortlists are published only by the organisers. Always confirm current detail on the official award website before entering. Read our full disclaimer.

1. Why enter journalism awards

Awards are external validation of work you have already done. A shortlisting or win signals quality to editors, commissioners, and readers; it strengthens a CV, a pitch, and a portfolio; and it can raise your profile in a way that leads to commissions, roles, and better rates. For investigative and public-interest journalism, recognition can also protect a story and its subject-matter by drawing wider attention to it.

The caveat is that awards should follow the work, not drive it. Chasing prizes can distort judgement about what to report and how. Treat entering as a way to mark strong journalism you were going to produce anyway, and the awards calendar becomes a useful, low-risk part of career-building.

2. National press and public-interest awards

British Journalism Awards (Press Gazette)

Run by the industry title Press Gazette, these awards focus on public-interest journalism and reward impact across a wide range of categories, from investigations to specialist beats. Entry details, categories, and deadlines are published on the Press Gazette website.

National Press Awards

A long-established set of awards recognising the best of UK newspaper and digital journalism across news, features, comment, and specialist categories, historically administered by the Society of Editors. Check the organiser site for the current categories and how to enter.

3. Investigative and political journalism

The Orwell Prize

Awarded by the Orwell Foundation, the Orwell Prizes recognise political writing and journalism that meets George Orwell ambition to make political writing into an art. The journalism prize is a leading honour for political reporting and commentary. See the Orwell Foundation for categories, criteria, and how to submit.

The Paul Foot Award

Established in memory of the investigative journalist Paul Foot and run in association with The Guardian and Private Eye, this award recognises outstanding investigative or campaigning journalism. It is one of the most respected prizes specifically for investigations. Entry details are published by the organisers.

4. Broadcast journalism awards

RTS Television Journalism Awards

Run by the Royal Television Society, these awards recognise excellence in television news and current affairs, with categories spanning news coverage, current affairs, and specialist reporting. Details are on the RTS website.

Broadcasting Press Guild Awards

Awarded by the Broadcasting Press Guild, whose members are broadcasting journalists and critics, these awards cover television, radio, and streaming, including recognition for broadcast journalism. Check the organiser site for the current categories and process.

5. Specialist, international and human-rights awards

Sports Journalists Association awards

The SJA British Sports Journalism Awards recognise the best in sports writing, photography, and broadcasting. They are the leading awards for the sports beat. Entry information is on the SJA website.

Foreign Press Association Media Awards

Presented by the Foreign Press Association in London, these awards recognise excellence in international journalism reported from or about the wider world, across print, broadcast, and digital. See the FPA website for categories and entry.

Amnesty Media Awards

Run by Amnesty International UK, these awards recognise journalism that has made an outstanding contribution to public understanding of human rights. Categories span print, broadcast, digital, and student journalism. Details are on the Amnesty International UK website.

Many beats have their own respected awards beyond these — in business, science, health, food, travel, and more. When you work a specialist beat, seek out the recognised award for that field; a win there often means more to the editors who commission you than a general prize would.

6. Choosing the right category

  • Match your strongest evidence to the category definition, not to the most prestigious-sounding title.
  • A tightly-scoped piece often competes better in a specialist or beat category than against the whole field in a general one.
  • Check the eligibility window — the publication dates the work must fall within — before assuming a piece qualifies.
  • Confirm the format and volume permitted: a single article, a body of work, or a portfolio, and how many entries you may submit.
  • Enter fewer, better-matched categories rather than scattering the same work thinly across many.

7. Crafting a strong entry

  • 1Lead with impact: state plainly what the work uncovered, changed, or achieved, and support it with evidence judges can verify.
  • 2Write the supporting statement for a busy judge: clear, specific, and free of jargon, foregrounding why the work matters.
  • 3Show the craft and the effort: the reporting method, the obstacles overcome, and the originality, not just the finished piece.
  • 4Follow the rules to the letter: word limits, file formats, and the number of pieces — entries are disqualified for breaches.
  • 5Get a second reader to sanity-check the entry before you submit, ideally someone outside the story.

8. Entry logistics checklist

  • The work falls within the award eligibility window.
  • The category definition genuinely matches the piece you are entering.
  • You have the required proof of publication and any permissions to submit.
  • The supporting statement is within the word limit and foregrounds impact.
  • Files are in the specified format and within any size limit.
  • The entry fee, if any, and the deadline are confirmed on the organiser site.

9. Deadlines, fees and planning ahead

Award cycles run to fixed calendars, and the best entries are rarely assembled the night before the deadline. Keep a simple log through the year of pieces you might enter, noting the publication date so you can check eligibility later. Watch the organiser sites for when entries open, and budget for any fees in advance so cost does not force a last-minute choice. Some awards have early-bird deadlines with lower fees; planning ahead lets you take advantage of them and gives you time to write a considered supporting statement.

10. Making the most of recognition

A shortlisting counts, not only a win. Add it to your portfolio and CV, mention it in pitches where it is relevant, and use it as a prompt to reconnect with editors. If you win, be generous in crediting collaborators, editors, and sources whose cooperation made the work possible. And keep perspective: awards recognise a moment of strong work, and a durable career is built on a consistent body of published journalism, not a shelf of trophies. See our guide to building a portfolio for how to present recognition alongside your best work.

Primary sources

Frequently asked questions

Which UK journalism awards carry the most weight?
It depends on your field. For public-interest and national newspaper work, the British Journalism Awards (Press Gazette) and the National Press Awards are among the most recognised. For political writing and journalism, the Orwell Prize is the benchmark, while the Paul Foot Award is the leading prize for investigative and campaigning journalism. Broadcast work is judged at the RTS Television Journalism Awards and the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. Specialist and international journalists have their own respected awards, such as the Sports Journalists Association awards, the Foreign Press Association Media Awards, and the Amnesty Media Awards. There is no single ranking — the most valuable award is the one respected in your beat.
Can freelances enter, or are awards only for staff journalists?
Most major UK journalism awards accept entries for work regardless of whether the author is staff or freelance, and many have categories where freelances compete strongly — investigations, features, and specialist reporting in particular. Entry is usually by the journalist or their outlet submitting a specific published piece or body of work against a category. Check each award rules, because some categories are defined by outlet type or platform, and some require the publisher to enter on your behalf. Always confirm current eligibility on the organiser website.
How do I choose the right category to enter?
Read the category definitions carefully and match the strongest evidence you have, not the grandest-sounding title. A tightly-scoped piece often does better in a specific specialist or beat category than against the whole field in a general one. Consider the eligibility window (the dates the work must have been published in), the format required, and how many pieces you may submit. Entering fewer, better-matched categories tends to serve you better than scattering the same work across many.
Do journalism awards cost money to enter?
Many awards charge an entry fee per submission, though some — particularly those run by charitable foundations or focused on human rights and public-interest work — are free or low-cost to enter. Fees, deadlines, and the number of permitted entries vary by award and by year, so check the current entry terms on the organiser website before you plan your submissions. Where you have a budget, prioritise the categories where your work is genuinely competitive rather than entering everything.
Do awards actually help a journalism career?
They can. A shortlisting or win is external validation that travels well on a CV, a pitch, and a portfolio; it can raise your profile with editors, open doors to commissions, and support the case for a pay rise or a new role. Awards are not a substitute for a consistent body of published work, and chasing them should never distort your reporting. Used well — as recognition of work you were going to do anyway — they are a legitimate and useful part of building a career.

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