Barlett & Steele Awards seeking 2011 entries

Named for the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning investigative business journalist team of Don Barlett and Jim Steele, these awards, funded by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism, celebrate the best in print and online investigative business journalism.

The annual awards were first given out in fall 2007, and feature a Gold award of $5,000 and a Silver prize of $2,000. Due to the growing number of exceptional submissions each year, a Bronze award of $1,000 has been added in 2011.

For the 2011 awards, entries must have appeared between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011. Each media outlet may submit no more than two entries. Submission deadline is Aug. 1, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Barlett and Steele, who won two Pulitzers with The Philadelphia Inquirer and two National Magazine Awards at Time, have worked together for four decades. They are contributing editors to Vanity Fair.

“We’d like to see journalists who keep the bigger picture in mind,” said Steele. “Someone who brings an understanding of complex issues that have not been properly explained. Don and I have an informal motto: Tell the reader something they don’t know. It sounds simple. Yet a lot of journalism is a rehash of what people already know.”

Judges will be looking for investigative enterprise, strong business theme, elegant writing style, clarity and impact.

For more information on how to apply, go here.