Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma

The Dart Award submission deadline is January 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm EST.
Entry guidelines. 

Since 1994, the Dart Awards for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma have recognized exemplary journalism on the impact of violence, crime and other traumatic events on individuals, families and communities. Spotlighting the experiences of victims and survivors, Dart Award winners make significant contributions to public understanding of trauma-related issues. Past winners include some of the world’s best-known news organizations as well as small community outlets.

The Dart Awards are open to newspaper, magazine, online, radio, television, video and multimedia journalism from North America that goes beyond the ordinary in reporting on trauma. Two $5,000 cash prizes are awarded each year. 

2023 First Round Judges: Ted Alcorn, independent journalist and Associate Professor, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University; Lisa Armstrong, journalist and Professor, University of California Berkeley School of Journalism; Melissa Bailey, freelance journalist; Chris Benderev, producer, This American Life and 2022 Dart Award Honorable Mention; Annelise Jolley, freelance journalist and 2022 Dart Award Winner; Susan Kaplan, broadcast journalist; Meg Kissinger, investigative reporter and author; Meg Martin, Knight-Wallace fellow, University of Michigan; Naseem Miller, senior health editor, Harvard Kennedy School’s Journalist's Resource; Steve Montiel, retired journalist; Betsy O'Donovan, assistant professor, Western Washington University; Francine Orr, staff photojournalist, Los Angeles Times and 2022 Dart Award Winner; Andrea Simakis, Director of Media Relations, Oberlin College and Conservatory and 2020 Dart Award winner; Carly Willsie, former head, Logan Nonfiction Program; Mike Walter, news anchor, CGTN-America News; Almudena Toral, executive producer for video and film, ProPublica and 2021 Dart Award Honorable Mention.

2023 Final Judges: Issac Bailey, Laventhol Visiting Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism; John Barth, Principal, Creative Media LLC; Adriana Gallardo, engagement reporter, ProPublica and 2021 Dart Award Winner; Angela Nickerson, PhD, Professor and Director of the Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program at the School of Psychology, University of New South Wales; Sacha Pfeiffer, correspondent, NPR’s Investigations Team.

 

Read more about the 2023 Final Judging Committee here

Past judges include: Ana Arana, Director, Fundacion MEPI and 2013 Dart Award winner; John Barth, Managing Director, Public Radio Exchange (PRX); David Boardman, Dean, Temple University School of Media and Communication; Jessica Bruder, journalist and author; Jelani Cobb, Staff Writer, The New Yorker; Lori Grinker, Documentary Photographer; Kenny Irby, Senior Faculty, The Poynter Institute; Susan Meiselas, photographer, Magnum Photo Agency; Miranda Olff Ph.D., Professor, AMC/University of Amsterdam and past president, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS); Sacha Pfeiffer, Investigative Reporter, The Boston Globe; Glenn Smith, Projects Editor, The Post and Courier and 2015 Dart Award winner; Sarah Stillman, Staff Writer, The New Yorker; and Alisa Solomon, Professor, Columbia Journalism School; Ginger Thompson, chief of correspondents, ProPublica; Raghuram Vadarevu, digital storytelling editor for global investigations, Associated Press.

Past Award Winners

Past Honorable Mentions

More from the Dart Awards

  • 2023 Dart Award Finalists Announced

    "This year’s Dart Award finalists showcase journalists contending in fresh and powerful ways with the hardest questions about the impact of violence," said Dart Center Executive Director Bruce Shapiro. "From excavations of long-past exploitation to searing inquiries into all-too-present gun violence  supported alike by under resourced, embattled local newsrooms and the largest national media  this year’s finalists take reporting in new directions in sourcing, interviewing and data analysis, all in service of a shared commitment to innovative, ethical reporting on survivors of violence."

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