* ATTENTION JOURNALISTS, EDITORS AND AWARDS COORDINATORS *

CALL FOR ENTRIES

2026 Hillman Prizes for Journalism

 Annual prizes honor excellence in journalism in service of the common good  

Deadline to enter: January 30, 2026
 

NEW YORK (Nov 18, 2025) — The Sidney Hillman Foundation is now accepting entries for the 2026 Hillman Prizes honoring excellence in investigative journalism and commentary in service of the common good.

The Hillman Prizes celebrate print, digital and broadcast reporting and commentary in the public interest that exposes injustice and leads to meaningful public policy change. 

Hillman Prize winners will be awarded a $5,000 honorarium and a certificate at our celebration in New York City to be held on May 5, 2026. 

The 2026 Hillman Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

• Book (nonfiction)
• Newspaper Reporting (story/series/multimedia - may include photo, video, graphics)
• Magazine Reporting (longform; print/online)
• Broadcast Journalism (tv, radio, podcast; at least 20 minutes in total package length)
• Opinion and Analysis Journalism (commentary and analysis in any medium)

All Hillman Prize entries will also automatically be considered for the SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice. 

“As we face unprecedented challenges and threats, courageous journalism matters more than ever,” said Alexandra Lescaze, executive director of the Sidney Hillman Foundation. “The Hillman Prizes celebrate those who relentlessly pursue the truth and tell stories that hold the powerful accountable, strengthen democracy and improve people’s lives.”

Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has honored journalists, writers and public figures who pursue investigative journalism and public policy for the common good. Sidney Hillman was the founding president of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union, a predecessor of Workers United, SEIU. An architect of the New Deal, Hillman fought to build a vibrant union movement extending beyond the shop floor to all aspects of working people’s lives. Over the course of nearly eight decades, the Hillman Prizes have formed a collection of the best and most significant stories and writers of the time. 

ELIGIBILITY

Entries must have been published or broadcast in 2025 and made widely available to a U.S audience. Nominated material and a cover letter can be submitted here. There is no fee to enter. 

JUDGES 

The 2026 Hillman Prize judges are Jamelle Bouie, columnist, The New York Times; Maria Carrillo, former enterprise editor Tampa Bay Times/Houston Chronicle; Ta-Nehisi Coates, bestselling author and contributing editor Vanity Fair; Alix Freedman, global editor, Ethics and Standards, Reuters; Harold Meyerson, editor at large, The American Prospect; and Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher, The Nation.

For entry or event questions, please contact: Alexandra Lescaze alex@hillmanfoundation.org or 917-696-2494

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