Barlett & Steele Awards now accepting entries

The Barlett and Steele Awards, named in honor of renowned investigative business journalists Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele, were expanded in 2022.

The awards now have two categories: one for news organizations with a national or global audience and one for publications with a regional or local focus. Additionally, an award will be given to an Outstanding Young Journalist that will recognize the work of a journalist under 30 years of age who demonstrates outstanding ability in investigative business reporting.

Entries will be accepted between June 1st, 2023 and July 31st, 2023 for articles originally published or broadcast between July 1st, 2022 and June 30th, 2023. Applications will be accepted only online and from editors or the contest coordinator designated by your news organization. Entries from freelance journalists are welcome but must be accompanied by a letter from an editor or director.

Each media outlet may submit no more than two entries per category (two for either the national or regional category and two for outstanding young journalist, for a total of four entries max per media outlet).

There are no entry fees for the 2023 Barlett and Steele Awards.

Entries must include:

Either active links or PDFs of published work. Any links behind paywalls must include instructions on how they can be accessed by judges.
No more than three works of journalism (articles, videos, podcasts, etc.). Videos and podcasts should be no longer than 20 minutes each. All materials must be in English, or have an English-language translation.
Nomination letter that addresses any obstacles encountered in reporting, any reforms or impact as a result of publication, and any corrections or challenges to accuracy. For the Young Journalist Award, the nomination should include relevant biographical details of the nominee.
Contact information for the editor or director submitting the entry.

Vetting

Entries for the Barlett & Steele Awards will undergo an initial vetting round by the faculty of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, with a panel of distinguished financial journalists making the final decision for each award. Winners will be announced in October 2023 with an award ceremony to be held in early November in downtown Phoenix.

To apply, go here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.