Nominate a News Leader of the Year

2020 was an especially challenging year for newsrooms — and we want to acknowledge the leadership who helped guide them through.

This year, we’re excited to accept submissions for a special new category: News Leader of the Year. This award recognizes an editor or team of editors who have displayed strong leadership in matching the extraordinary moment of an unprecedented year through great journalism and vital decision making on all fronts.

Do you know someone who deserves this honor? Is there a leader in your newsroom who’s gone above and beyond to support their team? Someone who’s displayed strong leadership and vital decision making on all fronts?

Please encourage them to apply! Organizations and individuals can nominate themselves or anyone else. The NLA Board also has the right to nominate anyone it chooses.

The inaugural sponsor of the News Leader of the Year Award is the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. In addition, there are six other streamlined categories that take into account the massive stories that unfolded across the past twelve months.

We urge news organizations of all sizes to enter, and judges will take into consideration the special circumstances that many or most outlets, including smaller ones, had to face to produce excellent journalism.

The 2021 NLA Awards will be open until 11:59 p.m. EST Friday, Feb. 19. Don't miss out on this opportunity of extra time to submit your work! Enter here.

We'll be holding an awards ceremony later this year to honor the award winners of both the 2020 and 2021 NLA Award winners. Details of this event will be announced at a later date.

If you have any questions, please email contact@newsleaders.org.