UCLA Anderson School of Management and the G. and R. Loeb Foundation invite individual journalists and all print, online and broadcast media outlets to submit entries in 12 competition categories for the 2022 Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism. Nominations will also be accepted for two career achievement honors, the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lawrence Minard Editor Award.
The Gerald Loeb Awards are the most prestigious honor in business journalism in the United States. They were established in 1957 by the late Gerald Loeb, a founding partner of E.F. Hutton. Loeb had a deep appreciation for the significant role that journalists fulfill in society and created the awards to encourage and support reporting on business and finance that will inform and protect both the private investor and the public.
Deadline and Eligibility
All entries must be submitted online at loeb.awardsplatform.com no later than Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Consideration is limited to entries that were published or broadcast in the United States during the calendar year 2021.
The categories in the competition group accept submissions with elements in all journalistic forms (including those produced for mobile distribution) and in any combination of forms: broadcast (video, audio and podcasts), digital/online, print, still photography, graphics, interactives, data visualization, blogs, news apps and social media.
For the 2022 competition, there are two changes to the rules and instructions for submissions:
- The option of providing elements as a PDF has been retired, and elements will only be accepted as URLs in the online entry form.
- Submissions that are part of a project/series straddling calendar years and containing eligible elements (published in 2021) may be accompanied by published supplemental material, in limited quantity, provided it is integral for context.
New Entry and Judging Platform
This year, the Loeb Awards will also activate a new and enhanced online entry experience powered by the more secure and WCAG-compliant Award Force platform. The system will allow submitters to create and access their accounts faster with third-party authentication, will deliver an improved flow to complete entries more quickly and will offer social sharing integration. The platform will also streamline the judging rounds with better evaluation options and more communication and tracking tools for Loeb Awards administrators.
12 Journalism Competition Categories Open for Submissions
- AUDIO – Exemplary audio journalism on any platform that uncovers or illuminates a significant business, financial or economic issue.
- BEAT REPORTING – Exemplary coverage of a business, financial or economic beat.
- BREAKING NEWS – Exemplary coverage of a competitive business, financial or economic news story within seven days of an event, with special attention paid to the first 24 hours.
- COMMENTARY – Deep and insightful business, financial or economic editorials, columns, syndicated columns, blogs, on-air or video commentary or analysis.
- EXPLANATORY – Exemplary in-depth analysis and clear presentation of a complex business, financial or economic subject.
- FEATURE – Pieces in any medium that explains or enlightens business topics with exemplary craft and style.
- INTERNATIONAL – International business, financial or economic stories; must be English language and published in the U.S.
- INVESTIGATIVE – A business, financial or economic story or group of up to five (5) stories in any medium or in a combination of media. Factors the judges will consider include: originality; creativity and persistence in gleaning information; storytelling power; and impact.
- LOCAL – Excellent coverage of a business, financial or economic story centered in a particular geographic area and offered primarily to consumers in that area. Pieces would be from a local newspaper, magazine, television, radio station or website.
- PERSONAL FINANCE & CONSUMER REPORTING – Excellent business, financial or economic journalism that informs and protects the individual investor and consumer. Includes personal finance, as well as other subjects related to informing and enlightening individuals so they can improve their situation. Eligible entrants include journalists and experts who are determined not to have conflicts of interest or personal agendas related to the submitted material.
- VIDEO – Exemplary coverage, storytelling and presentation in video (delivered in any format, including mobile, streaming and social) of a business, financial or economic story.
- VISUAL STORYTELLING – Exemplary use of images, graphics and interactives (still photography, video, charts, data visualizations, graphics, illustrations, news apps) to tell stories. These visual and data elements should be essential to the reporting in order to explain, enlighten or educate the reader/viewer/user about contemporary business, financial or economic topics. The images, graphics or interactives, and any accompanying text, voice track or sound, can appear in any medium. Judges will give strong consideration to the quality of the user experience on mobile devices, as well as entries grouped around a common theme.
Two Career Awards Open for Nominations
- LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Recognizes an individual’s exceptional career contributions in the field of business, financial and economic news.
- LAWRENCE MINARD EDITOR AWARD – Recognizes an individual’s career contributions in business journalism editing.
Updated submission guidelines and detailed descriptions of journalism competition and career achievement categories for the 2022 competition can be found online at anderson.ucla.edu/gerald-loeb-awards.