Technical Requirements for 2026 Journalism Entries

NOTE: URLs must remain active until the Prize announcement.

Entries using URLs:

Textual content may be submitted as web links in all relevant categories.
PDFs continue to be accepted, but we ask that you not alternate between formats in the same entry when possible (notwithstanding the Breaking News Reporting timeline, which may be presented as a PDF due to recapitulative challenges).
To facilitate juror access, entrants should place URLs outside any paywall. If that proves infeasible, the entrant should place a simple username and password for jurors in the new Paywall/Login Credentials field under the questionnaire on Step Four.
All logins must remain active through the Prize announcement.
URLs should generally correspond to a single item.
Items from large, multifaceted web projects or coverage organized under a single URL must be submitted individually. The URL for the complete project or coverage may be submitted as a link in the supplemental summary question, or in a PDF/Word/text file under supplemental material.
If this is not feasible, the item must be identified and submitted toward the category limit with a separate label, preferably including a redirect for ease of navigation.
URLs must reflect the best editorial practices of digital and digital-first newsrooms, including full disclosure of corrections and other non-typographical post-publication edits.
Redundant spaces inserted in the URL portion of a Web Entry item will lead to system errors and prevent you from proceeding to the next step. Please check each URL.

Entries using PDFs:

PDFs are optional (see above).
To assure readability, PDF documents should measure no larger than 8 1/2 x 14 inches and the type size should be 12 pt.
Submit text material in a one- or two-column-wide format, single spaced. See examples on the How to Enter page.
Each story should be uploaded as a separate PDF.
Complicated desktop publishing software is not needed to create a PDF that conforms to the contest requirements. Example: Microsoft Word can be used to create a formatted PDF document containing text and photos.

Entries in Photography categories:

Submit images in JPEG format.
Caption, byline and credit (name of news organization) should be in the standard IPTC fields.
Only one image per JPEG. Do not include text of layouts in the image.
File size: Images should not exceed 3600 pixels on the longest side of the image (18 inches at 200 dpi).
Color profile: RGB.
Each entry may consist of a single image or up to 15 individual images.
Before finalizing your entry, please verify that all uploaded photos display the required metadata.
REMINDER: If the photographs originally were presented or published in color, the judges should see them in color. If they were originally presented or published in black and white, the judges should see them in black and white.

Proof of publication required in Photography and Illustrated Reporting and Commentary categories:

Each work published in print should be accompanied by a PDF clipping of the newspaper or magazine page on which it originally appeared, with date and caption.
If digital work is submitted, each should be accompanied by a PDF of a screenshot from the eligible website with date and caption.
The PDFs should be combined and submitted as a single file via the supplemental file prompt on the entry site.
Digital photos must accurately represent original publication, including decisions on cropping and toning.

Revised Photography rules:

Entries in Breaking News Photography and Feature Photography must include original, unedited (i.e. as recorded by the camera) versions of submitted images.
Screenshots will no longer be accepted in lieu of original images for this requirement.
All camera-recorded and entered photos must include original metadata. No screenshots of metadata will be accepted.
A new prompt on the entry form will enable entrants to submit folders with the camera-recorded images via file-sharing platforms.
Camera-recorded images also must be provided for photos entered in non-Photography categories (such as Public Service or Explanatory Reporting).
File directories must remain active and accessible until the Prize announcement.
Proof of publication is still required in the Photography categories and for photo items in other categories (see above). Proof includes publication by an eligible U.S.-based newspaper, magazine or news site that updates regularly during the calendar year.
As noted in the FAQ, the websites of U.S.-based broadcast news organizations remain ineligible in the Breaking News and Feature Photography categories. Likewise, these organizations may not submit photos in other categories.
Blogs and news sites operated by U.S.-based agencies and wire services satisfy the publication requirement. Affiliates of agencies or wire services based outside the United States must continue to submit proof of publication from eligible U.S.-based newspapers, magazines and non-broadcast news sites that update regularly during the calendar year.
The availability of a photo for purchase on a site does not constitute publication under the current rules.
Entered photographs (which must correspond to the published iterations) should not be manipulated in ways that significantly alter the original image. Standard cropping and/or editing remain permissible and acceptable. Multiple exposure photographs are not permitted.
Judges will compare the entry photo or photos with the original frame or frames to determine whether the editing process is within the bounds of reasonable cropping and editing. Among their considerations:
1) Has the editing resulted in the removal or reordering of some aspect of the original?
2) Has the editing either highlighted or obscured some aspect of the image to such an extent that it alters the character of the photo in a significant way?
If the judges believe either of these seem to hold true, then the photograph has been altered to a significant degree.
Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Audio Reporting entries:

An entry may consist of up to seven items, which may only be submitted as URLs.
Each entry must not exceed five hours in duration. Excess content may or may not be reviewed at the judges’ discretion and should be included in the supplemental file.
Potential submission formats include, but are not limited to, a dedicated page on the producer or news organization's website or an individual episode's landing page on a major platform.
However, please note that advertising must be stripped from all entries. If you cannot upload stripped iterations to your site or platform page for contractual or technological reasons, please re-upload them to a platform like YouTube, Soundcloud or Google Drive. All links must remain active through the Prize announcement.
Re-uploaded content may be submitted discretely or as a single presentation. For either option, please include proof-of-publication screenshots (ideally derived from the organization's website or platform landing page) in the supplemental file. A single presentation must also include a list of timestamps delineating each item.
Transcripts are required. These must be entered via the new uploader. You will not be able to complete your entry until the file is in place.

Entries in Illustrated Reporting and Commentary:

Work should be uploaded as JPEGs. If they are animated, enter via URLs.

Video items:

Video should be submitted via its URL but please remove pre-roll ads.
In general, there is no limit on length.
Each video will count as one item, except in cases where several short videos on the same theme are combined into one presentation of 10 minutes or less.

Audio slideshow and photo gallery entries:

Audio slideshows and photo galleries should be entered via their URLs.
The maximum number of images is 15.
Each slideshow or gallery will be counted as one item.

Interactive presentations:

Interactive graphics and databases should be entered only as URLs.
Each graphic or database should be a single, unified, discretely designated presentation. Each will be counted as one item.