The CAJ’s annual awards program recognizes the best in Canadian journalism with a particular focus on investigative work. Entries are welcome from any practising journalist whose work has been published or broadcast in Canada.

The application portal for the 2025 awards program is now CLOSED.

Thank you to all who submitted their applications by the January 13, 2026 deadline.

These categories recognize journalism in a variety of formats. Entries that display a mastery of investigative journalism tools are given extra weight, but the work doesn’t have to be purely investigative to qualify. Entries in each of the investigative categories are limited to one piece, or a series of up to three related pieces. The gold prize winner from each of these categories will be considered for our grand prize, the Don McGillivray Award for Investigative Journalism.

  • Written News
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Predominantly text-based pieces published in print or online, regardless of publication frequency, circulation or audience reach.
    • Entries are either one piece or a series of up to three related pieces.
  • Hugo Rodrigues Award for Community News
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Predominantly text-based entries published in print or online.
    • Print entries limited to media printed fewer than five times a week or with an average daily print circulation of under 25,000.
    • Online-only entries not from a print newsroom must serve a regional or community audience, and provide verifiable data to the awards committee on request.
    • Entries are either one piece or a series of up to three related pieces.
    • Individual entries into this category from CAJ members are free.
    • Named in honour of Hugo Rodrigues, a Cornwall, ON newspaper journalist and longtime leader of the CAJ Awards.
  • Broadcast Over Five Minutes
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries with a runtime of more than five minutes, predominantly audio/podcast or video, broadcast to an audience of any size over the air or online.
    • Entries are either one piece or a series of up to three related pieces.
  • Broadcast Under Five Minutes
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries with a runtime of fewer than five minutes, predominantly audio or video, broadcast to an audience of any size over the air or online.
    • Entries are either one piece or a series of up to three related pieces.
  • Community Broadcast
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries of any length for any piece, predominantly audio/podcast or video, whose broadcast is targeted to a community or regional audience over the air or online. Over the air broadcast submissions must come from a local or regional station.
    • Online entries not from a TV or radio broadcaster must serve a regional or community audience and provide verifiable data to the awards committee on request.
    • Entries are either one piece or a series of up to three related pieces.
    • Individual entries into this category from CAJ members are free.
  • Data Journalism
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries from any media in any format where data journalism techniques played a key and indispensable part in developing the story. This category is meant to highlight the use of data journalism, but not at the expense of good journalism and good storytelling.
    • Entries are either one piece or a series of up to three related pieces.
  • Freedom of Information Journalism
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries from media in any format in which the use of Freedom of Information or Access to Information request(s) played a key and essential role in developing the story. Judges may consider the difficulties through which the information was obtained, but the emphasis will be on quality storytelling and journalism that harnesses information gleaned from intelligent use of such documents. The requests can be for information from a Canadian public institution at any level.
    • Entries are either one piece or a series of up to three related pieces.
    • This award is kindly sponsored by the Ken and Debbie Rubin Public Interest Advocacy Fund.
  • Online Media
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries in any online-only format. No part of this entry can include any element that was published in print or broadcast on television or radio.
    • This category is to recognize work done by Canadian media exclusively for online, only available online. Entries of online work that “wrap” around something that has been broadcast or published in print (for example, an “online extra” that was created to supplement a video documentary) are best entered in media or broadcast categories, with the online work as one of the permitted related items.
    • Entries limited to one URL or up to three related URLs.

These categories recognize exemplary journalism. Recipients are not eligible for consideration for the Don McGillivray award.

  • Photojournalism
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries showcasing a portfolio of up to 20 photographs demonstrating journalistic vision, consistent quality and a reflection of the entrant’s professionalism and journalistic abilities.
    • A supporting cover letter must be submitted with each entry, detailing where each of the photos was published, posted, or broadcast.
  • Scoop
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries from any media in any format that was the first to bring new or significant information to light of regional or national importance.
    • A supporting cover letter with details on how the entry was a regional/national scoop is mandatory.
    • Entry limited to a single piece, published or broadcast on a single day.
  • Same-Day Story (previously “Daily Excellence”)
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries from any media in any format demonstrating excellence in daily, deadline-driven reporting based on same-day research. Consideration is of the results of a single day’s work where the research, interviews, writing, editing, etc all took place on the same day.
    • Entry limited to a single piece plus related element (i.e., sidebar), published or broadcast on a single day.
  • Written Feature
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • A primarily text-based article that is not specifically investigative in nature, but shows excellence in writing and storytelling quality.
    • Entries limited to a single piece, published on a single day.
  • Community Written Feature
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • A primarily text-based article that is not specifically investigative in nature, but shows excellence in writing and storytelling quality.
    • Eligible entries must have been published by a news organization serving a community or regional market.
    • Entries limited to a single piece, published on a single day.
  • Environmental and Climate Change Award
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries in any format which have contributed to improving the understanding and awareness of the evolving climate crisis or other environmental issue, and its impact on the daily lives and well-being of people.
    • Entries limited to one piece, plus a related sidebar, both published or broadcast on the same day.
  • Janice Johnston Award for Crime and Justice Reporting
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $1,000
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • This award recognizes exemplary reporting on crime and justice issues, be it in breaking news coverage or enterprise work. The award will recognize stories that treat victims of crime with dignity and respect, that are built on fair, accurate, rigorous and unflinching original reporting, and that hold the police and legal systems fearlessly to account.
    • Entries are limited to three pieces, related to one another or from a portfolio.
  • Geoffrey Stevens Award for Local Government Reporting
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $1,000
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • This award recognizes exemplary work about a local institution or its policies/decision that affect the local community – including municipal governments, school boards, First Nations bands, regional councils or other local public bodies. The award will recognize stories that convey deep knowledge of the activities of the local institution, and vividly reveal how the body’s decision-making has real-world consequences in the community.
    • Entries are limited to three pieces about the institution, related to one another or from a portfolio.
  • JHR/CAJ Award for Human Rights Reporting
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $1,000
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • What is human rights reporting? This prize rewards journalism that puts a human face on situations where human rights are not respected and/or holds authorities to account to do a better job of protecting those rights. As a result, the story builds awareness of human rights and social justice issues, and shows the human impact and the human cost of abstract political and economic forces.
    • Entries limited to a single piece, published or broadcast on a single day.
  • JHR/CAJ Emerging Indigenous Journalist Award
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $1,000
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • This award recognizes exemplary journalism being produced by a First Nations, Inuit or Métis journalist who is at the beginning of their career.
    • This is a portfolio category of up to three pieces in any format from a journalist with up to five years’ experience.
    • The submitted work can be on any topic as the aim is to recognize an amazing journalist creating amazing work on the issues they care about.
    • A supporting letter is mandatory and must include information on when the person started working in journalism. It should also include what First Nations, Métis or Inuit community the person is from, where they have been recognized as a member of the community.
  • CWA Canada/CAJ Award for Labour Reporting
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $1,000
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • What are labour issues? Judges will be instructed to reward those entries that effectively bring to the public’s attention important labour issues. The award seeks to honour journalism that goes beyond a work-to-rule, strike, lockout or other job action and shows skill in reporting on the social, economic and political factors that impact the labour environment in Canada. Entries showing impact on policy, law or public awareness are encouraged. This award is meant to recognize great journalism on labour issues that can make a difference in the lives of Canadians.
    • Does an entry have to be reporting on a union? No– judges are looking for the best journalism on labour issues. While Canada’s unions are integral to the labour movement, not all of the labour issues that are reported on in this country involve unions. It’s expected many entries will include the labour movement and unions, but this is not a requirement of the award.
    • Entries are a single piece, published or broadcast on a single day.
    • Should the judges determine it appropriate, one award may be handed out for reporting done in English and another in French.
  • NNC/CAJ Student Journalism Award of Excellence
    • Gold Prize: Certificate and $500 plus conference and banquet attendance (reimbursed)
    • Silver Prize: Certificate only
    • Entries from students enrolled in a recognized journalism program at a Canadian post-secondary institution and/or whose submissions were published in student media. Feature-style entries encouraged.
    • Proof of enrollment must be provided with entry.
    • Entries may be a single piece, or a series of up to three related pieces.
    • No entry fee for individual CAJ student members.

Program Year

Entries must have been first published or broadcast in English or French in the 2025 calendar year.

Canadian Journalism

Entries welcomed from journalists working outside of Canada, provided the location of first broadcast/publication originated within Canada. Entries must be from outlets based in Canada and directed at a Canadian audience. A non-Canadian outlet is eligible if it has regular standalone Canadian sections or pages, and its editorial team has at least one member based full-time in Canada.

Proof of publication/broadcast meeting these criteria, if not ascertainable from the entry itself, may be requested by the awards committee.

Entry Guidelines

Entry composition is defined for each category, detailed elsewhere on this page and in the awards submission portal. Please do not overburden the judges with an unending entry. Careful consideration of which elements are included with an entry that effectively demonstrate your best work is encouraged. In multi-platform or multi-outlet submissions, there is greater value in showing three strong elements regardless of format/outlet, rather than submitting a similar piece in each format/from each outlet.

A supporting cover letter must be submitted with each entry. This is your opportunity to tell the judges how and why you did the work. What resources did you have available to you? What were the challenges involved? What impact did it have and did it produce change? Certain categories have additional requirements to be contained within the supporting cover letter, as outlined in the category descriptions on this page and within the application portal. Cover letters should not be endorsements or testimonials.

Team Entries

If submitting a team entry, please include the names of primary creators of the content, such as journalists whose bylines are on the article, or the producers and crew on video and audio submissions. Please provide no more than five names per single entry, or consider listing as a “Team Entry.” Additionally, we will not accept additional finalist team member names submitted after the initial entry was finalized, so please ensure credits are properly listed on submission and payment.

Duplication

Material produced from the same body of research cannot be submitted in multiple categories. No part of any entry can be submitted in another category. No part of any team entry can be submitted by an individual in the same or another category.

Judges will name up to five finalists in each category; from those, one finalist will win the gold prize and one the silver prize. Gold prize winners in the investigative categories are then passed on to the Don McGillivray Award judges, who decide the winner of this overall award. Judges may declare “no winner” for a category. If this occurs, no finalists in that category will be announced. In rare cases, more than one finalist may be declared.

Judges use the same published criteria available to those who enter the awards along with the general criteria below to determine their ranking.

In those categories including French-language entries, the awards committee will assign a minimum of one bilingual or Francophone judge to the category. Judges selected and assigned by the awards committee are experienced journalists who are not eligible to compete in the category in which they are judging.

Judges are asked to consider the following:

  • Entries in investigative categories need not be purely investigative, however investigative entries are given added weight;
  • Original subjects and content matter;
  • Effective use of the medium—imagery, clarity, language and narrative;
  • The breadth and scope of the research undertaken, as well as how it was used within the entry;
  • Impact and timeliness;
  • The degree of difficulty in research or production, resources available to the journalist/newsroom, time available for production and/or risk involved in getting the story;
  • In the written feature and community written feature categories, judges will give special consideration to excellence in writing and storytelling quality;
  • In the photojournalism and emerging Indigenous journalist, the objective is not to find the single best photo or piece, but reward the overall body of work submitted in the entry;
  • In the labour category, entries that go beyond a work-to-rule, strike, lockout or other job action to report on the broader social, economic and political impact on the labour movement and market will be given preference and added weight.

An entry fee is required for each entry in every category.* All entries fees are exclusive of tax.

  • CAJ member – $30 *
  • Non-member – $110
  • CAJ student member – $25 **
  • Team entry, all CAJ members – $60
  • Team entry, non-members – $200
  • Team entry, all CAJ student members, submitted by the students – $30

Non-member entrants are encouraged to sign up for a membership when submitting an entry so they can pay the CAJ-member entry fee.

* There is NO entry fee for individual CAJ members entering the Hugo Rodrigues Award for Community News or the Community Broadcast categories.
** There is NO entry fee for individual CAJ student members entering the Student Award of Excellence.