The Gary Corcoran Student Prize for Excellence in Reporting on Disability is the only national journalism contest devoted exclusively to disability coverage by college journalists.

Application 2025 | Application deadline: Jan. 12, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. PST - deadline exteneded to 1/16 at midnight 1/16

The contest is open to anyone who was enrolled in a U.S. or international college or university during the period when their work was published.

Entries must have been published or aired between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2025, via a university-affiliated publication or program. Entries published in professional outlets will be accepted if the work was done as part of a college program or class, and not as paid freelance work or a paid internship with a professional outlet. Entries are accepted from digital, print, audio and broadcast media. For international entries, work submitted must be in English.

The entrant must have been enrolled as a student at the time of publication or broadcast. 

The contest is administered by the National Center on Disability and Journalism, headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Please review that you have completed the required items before submitting a contest entry. If you have any questions or are having a problem with this form, please contact David Nitkin, dnitkin@asu.edu. 

There are no entry fees for the Barlett and Steele Awards.

Applications will be accepted only online and from editors or the contest coordinator designated by your news organization. Freelance entries may be submitted by freelancers, but a letter from an editor is still required. 

Award Categories

The Awards now have two categories: one for news organizations with a national or global audience and/or a newsroom with more than 100 editorial staff, and the other for organizations with a regional or local focus and/or a newsroom with 100 or fewer journalists. Each category will have a Gold, Silver, and Bronze winner. Gold awards come with a cash prize of US$3,000, Sliver with US$2,000, and Bronze with US$1,000. Barlett & Steele Award for Outstanding Young Journalist: This award will recognize the work of a journalist under 35 years of age who demonstrates outstanding ability in investigative business reporting. One award will be given each year, and it will carry a US$3,000 cash prize.  

Applicants must submit:

• Either active links or PDFs of published work. Any links behind paywalls must include instructions on how they can be accessed by judges.
• No more than three works of journalism (articles, videos, podcasts, etc.). Videos and podcasts should be no longer than 20 minutes each. All materials must be in English, or have an English-language translation/captions. 
• Nomination letter that addresses any obstacles encountered in reporting, any reforms or impact as a result of publication, and any corrections or challenges to accuracy. For the Young Journalist Award, the nomination should include relevant biographical details of the nominee.
• Contact information for the editor or director submitting the entry.

Entries for the 2026 award must have originally been published or broadcast between July 1st, 2025 and June 30th, 2026. Each media outlet may submit no more than two entries per category (two for either the national or regional category and two for outstanding young journalist, for a total of four entries max per media outlet). 

Winners will be announced in October 2026, with an award ceremony to be held in early November in downtown Phoenix.

Application deadline: July 31, 2026

If you have any questions or have a problem with this form please contact reynoldscenter@gmail.com.

The Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability is the only professional journalism contest devoted exclusively to disability coverage. Application 2025 | Application deadline: Jan. 12, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. PST -- extended to 1/16 at midnight PST

Entries must have been published or aired between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2025. Entries will be accepted from print, broadcast or online-only publications. Entries are accepted from outside of the U.S., although the work submitted must be in English. 

The contest is administered by the National Center on Disability and Journalism, headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Please review that you have completed the required items before submitting contest entry. If you have any questions or having a problem with this form please contact David Nitkin at dnitkin@asu.edu.