Victor K. McElheny Award Now Accepting Submissions The award, now in its sixth year, will honor one outstanding work of local or regional science journalism with a $10,000 prize.

The Knight Science Journalism program at MIT is pleased to announce that the Victor K. McElheny Award is accepting submissions now through January 31, 2024. The award recognizes outstanding coverage of science, public health, technology, or the environment at the local or regional level. The winning journalist or team of journalists will be presented with a $10,000 prize.

The Victor K. McElheny Award was established in 2018 by the Knight Science Journalism program’s founding director and storied science journalist Victor McElheny and his wife Ruth McElheny as a way to recognize and reward the critical but under-appreciated work being done by science journalists on a local level. 

In today’s rapidly evolving world, communities need journalists who are asking the right questions, communicating science clearly to a public that may not have specialty expertise, and incorporating the lived experiences of those impacted by the science.

The award defines “local and regional” widely. Science stories from newspapers, small magazines and digital sites, broadcasters, podcasters, and even bloggers are eligible — as long as the platform’s primary mission is to serve a local or regional audience. Submissions must have been published in the United States in 2023. Be sure to review the full submission and eligibility guidelines before getting started.

Learn more about the award and our mission to showcase impactful local and regional science journalism on the Victor K. McElheny Award page.