Call for entries to the 2025 Online Journalism Awards

The Online News Association (ONA) is thrilled to open the call for submissions to the 2025 Online Journalism Awards, recognizing excellence and digital innovation by international and local media, independent journalists, nonprofit newsrooms, and journalism collaborations around the world.

As threats to press freedom escalate, journalists continue to do remarkable work delivering timely, reliable information and analysis that make communities stronger and more connected. We invest in the awards program each year to emphasize this pivotal work and showcase the impact created by projects of all shapes and sizes. Past OJA honorees have included VTDigger, for life-saving reporting during and in the aftermath of the historic July 2023 flooding; The Boston Globe, for overall excellence in using digital tools to inform, delight and inspire their audiences; The Markup, for highlighting disparities in internet access across the U.S.; and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), for a deep dive and impressive visual storytelling on Russia’s attack on Bucha, Ukraine, in 2022.

The 2025 awards are open to work published between April 15, 2024, and April 2, 2025. Across 24 categories, judges will consider the quality of the journalism, digital innovation and the overall impact on the intended audiences and society at large.

All entries are due May 15 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

New and updated categories

• Excellence in Science Reporting: Entries in this category may report across areas such as, but not limited to, health and wellness, climate change, medical and natural sciences, space science, scientific innovation, STEM education and careers, and/or the role of science in society. Reporting through a variety of formats, including but not limited to writing, photography, data visualization, video or audio, is eligible for this award.

• Innovation in Revenue Strategy: This award honors a person or newsroom that has implemented innovative revenue strategies to enhance their organization’s financial sustainability and journalistic independence. Projects in this category may include but are not limited to subscription models, membership programs, event programs, branded content approaches, merchandising, content licensing, and/or strategic partnerships. Entrants will be evaluated on the extent to which their revenue innovation serves an identified need and contributes to your operation’s sustainability.

• Gather Award in Community-Centered Journalism: This award honors strategies and processes that center community information needs and voices in the production of journalistic work. The subcategories have been updated to recognize projects based on the communities they serve: Urban & National Focus and Community-Based & Rural Focus. Each award comes with a $2,500 prize.

Explore all categories and enter by May 15

For ONA members

ONA members help make the awards program possible through their annual support and receive complimentary or discounted access to many opportunities, including submissions to the OJAs.

Reduced entry fees:

• ONA members: $125 per entry (non-members: $200)
• Student members: $15 per entry (student non-members: $30)

Join ONA or renew your membership

For micro-size newsrooms and independent creator journalists

Organizations with 15 or fewer employees may submit work as a “Micro newsroom” with the reduced fee of $50 per entry, regardless of ONA membership. This includes solo creator journalists who report the news through a newsletter, podcast and other independent channels. For more guidance, review the rules and eligibility, entry requirements and FAQs.

Cash prizes

Four awards come with a total of $45,000 in prize money, courtesy of The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication’s Agora Journalism Center, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and SmartNews. These awards honor science reporting, community-centered journalism, investigative data journalism, service journalism, climate change reporting and general excellence.

Get involved as a Screener or Judge

Each year more than 200 volunteers contribute their digital media expertise to review projects submitted to the Online Journalism Awards and champion best journalism work from the past year. In the first round, screeners review entries to determine semi-finalists. Then, judges meet as a group to review, discuss and select the winners and finalists

Apply by May 15 to volunteer as a Screener or Judge

ONA will host this year’s Online Journalism Awards Luncheon, an annual celebration of journalism excellence, on Friday, Sept. 12, in New Orleans. Tickets to the awards luncheon are available as an add-on to the ONA25 conference registration. Learn more about ONA25.