2025 SEJ Awards: How To Enter

DEADLINE TO ENTER: September 2, 2025

LATE DEADLINE: September 16, 2025. Late fees apply.

SEJ’s annual Awards for Reporting on the Environment honor outstanding environmental journalism across 10 categories. This guide outlines how to enter the four core reporting categories. For information on submitting to the Rachel Carson Environment Book Award or the Outstanding Student Reporting Award, visit their respective pages.

A Note for Entrants

To better understand the demographics of entrants, we ask two voluntary questions:

Does your newsroom share demographic data?
Has it participated in the NLA (News Leaders Association) diversity survey?

Responses are confidential and not shared with judges.

SEJ Awards Categories:

Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting
Outstanding Beat Reporting
Outstanding Feature Story
Outstanding Explanatory Reporting

Each category accepts entries from Large and Small Newsrooms. See full category descriptions below.

Entry Requirements

You may submit multiple entries, though each one requires a separate payment and entry form. A unique invoice number or PayPal transaction ID number is required for each entry.

What to Prepare and Submit

Entry summary letter: Brief background on the work’s significance, challenges, or impact
Contributor info: Name, email, and role for each reporter, photographer, editor or contributor
Stories: Up to five; same-day sidebars count as one
- Feature Story: One file only
- Upload PDFs or include direct URLs (no general links)
- Include credentials valid through February 2026 for access if behind a paywall
Full transcripts: Required for all audio/video.
- Maximum combined runtime: 60 minutes

For additional support, view the How To Prepare Your Entry Guide.

Next Steps

To enter the SEJ Awards, all participants must complete both the online entry and online payment forms. Entries without a corresponding payment and completed entry form will not be forwarded to judges.

Before You Submit

Review the full SEJ Awards Rules before entering. While key disqualifying factors are listed on the form, familiarity with the complete rules will help ensure your entry is eligible.

How to Submit

Pay First: Use the SEJ Awards Payment Form. Make note of your invoice number for your submission.
Submit Entry: You’ll be automatically redirected to the entry form via Submittable. If not, use the link in your payment confirmation email. The contest site is Submittable.com. If you've entered SEJ’s awards before, you already have a profile. If not, you will be asked to register for free on the site before you can proceed.
Confirmation: You’ll get a Submittable email confirming your submission. You can revise your entry before the deadline and monitor your entry status.

Didn’t get a confirmation? Check your spam folder and add awards@sej.org to your contacts.

After Submission

Judging will conclude in January 2026. Winners will be notified directly and a public announcement will follow in the spring ahead of SEJ’s annual conference in Chicago, April 15-18, 2026.

Entry Fees

SEJ Members: $45 by Sept. 2 / $90 until Sept. 16
Low-/Middle-Income Journalists: $10 by Sept. 2 / $20 until Sept. 16
All Others: $110 by Sept. 2 / $220 until Sept. 16

Group entries follow the same fee schedule. Accepted: Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, PayPal (USD only).

Want the member rate? To qualify for the member rate, a current SEJ member in good standing must have a byline or hold a significant role in the entry. Apply for membership before entering. If declined, dues will be refunded and the entry will get upcharged. Check your membership status.

Need help? SEJ members may request a fee waiver via the Members in Need Fund. You can also donate to support others.

Go to the Payment Form

The categories for the contest are as follows:

Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting: Recognizes a report or series that uses investigative techniques to uncover facts not otherwise available to the public. Judges will be asked to consider the impact and results of the reporting.

Outstanding Beat Reporting Award: Honors a body of work, three to five broadcasts, published news reports or commentary pieces, demonstrating depth and breadth of environmental coverage on a beat around a single topic.

Outstanding Explanatory Reporting Award: Recognizes coverage that breaks down a complex environmental issue of significance for broad understanding.

Outstanding Feature Story Award: Recognizes a single, in-depth enterprise or feature story that uses strong storytelling to explore an environmental topic. Entries tied to breaking news are not eligible.

Eligibility Window: May 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025

Maximum Submissions per Entry

Up to five stories (one for Feature Story). Work published or broadcast on the same day will count as one piece.

Entry Rules for All Categories

Originality: Work must be first published or aired by the submitting outlet. Republished or rebroadcast content is ineligible.
No Post-Deadline Updates: Online stories must reflect the original version as of July 31, 2025.
Multimedia: All video/audio must include transcripts. Total runtime may not exceed 60 minutes.

Newsroom Size Criteria

Entries will be judged in Large or Small Newsroom divisions. Collaborative entries involving both small and large newsrooms will be classified as large-newsroom entries.

Large Newsroom
- Print/Online: More than 100 full-time editorial staff
- Broadcast: National networks or stations in Top 50 U.S. TV or Top 100 U.S. audio markets
Small Newsroom
- Print/Online: 100 or fewer full-time editorial staff
- Broadcast: Local stations below Top 50 TV or Top 100 audio markets

Back to the main Awards page.

Visibility:

Public