Big News: high school journalism categories added to George Polk Awards

[Katina Paron]

==>student categories: new publication, video/audio, feature, investigative reporting

Press Pass NYC is thrilled to announce, along with Long Island University, the addition of a whole new category to their long-standing George Polk Awards - four new awards dedicated to recognizing outstanding journalism produced by high school newspapers, including NEWLY-founded ones!

(FLYER ATTACHED)

Please read the submission directions carefully - and please submit!!

High School journalists are invited to submit journalism in the following categories:

• Investigative Reporting
• Feature Writing
• Audio/Video Reporting (Podcast/Radio/Video Report)
• Best New Publication (Entry in any category from a newspaper established in or after 2021.)

Submission Guidelines

Eligibility: 

Open to all students actively involved in high school newspapers or video magazines. Entries are for work published in a school newspaper or on a school news website during the 2025 calendar year. One entry (or series on same topic) per student, per category.

Submission Deadline: 

All entries must be received by 9pm on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. There is no fee. Entries will not be acknowledged.

* What to Submit: 

Submit the article or audio/video clip along with a cover letter that spells out what makes the work prizeworthy. It may include information on the genesis of the story, how it was done, the impact it had and other relevant information. Judges place a premium on enterprise work that is original, significant, brings results, and requires resourcefulness and courage. The award’s purpose is to recognize journalism that delivers original reporting, not personal viewpoints, so please do not submit opinion pieces.

How to Submit: 

Please submit your entries by e-mail to: Liza.D...@liu.edu under the subject header “George Polk High School Submission for [name of category]” 

Winners in each category will receive:

• A certificate of recognition.
• Invitation to attend the annual George Polk Awards ceremony luncheon at Cipriani’s in Manhattan on
• April 10, 2026, alongside professional George Polk Award recipients.
• Invitation to attend a seminar featuring a panel of the award winners on April 9, 2026, at Long Island
• University’s Brooklyn campus.
• Consideration for scholarship opportunities at Long Island University.

This is a unique opportunity to showcase your journalistic talent and be recognized on a prestigious platform. We encourage all eligible high school journalists to submit their best work and contribute to the future of impactful storytelling

For 76 years, LIU has been the proud home of the George Polk Awards in Journalism, the first major award of its kind to recognize reporting across all media. This prestigious honor focuses on the intrepid, bold, and influential work of the reporters themselves, placing a premium on investigative work that is original, resourceful, and thought-provoking. Among the many journalism greats who are Polk laureates are Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, Christiane Amanpour, I.F. Stone, Isabel Wilkerson, James Baldwin, Russell Baker, Norman Mailer, Seymour Hersh, and more.