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A-Mark Prize for Freedom of Information Reporting deadline April 30, 2026

The Tennessee Press Association is partnering with the A-Mark Foundation to offer a new statewide Freedom of Information Reporting prize that will award $15,000 in cash to reporters and newsrooms who exemplify the best in-depth reporting on FOI issues. 

Winners in the competition will receive:

  • First place: $5,000 for the journalist(s) and $2,500 to the news organization
  • Second place: $3,000 for the journalist(s) and $1,500 to the news organization
  • Third place: $2,000 for the journalist(s) and $1,000 to the news organization

The entry deadline for this contest is Thursday, April 30, 2026, for work published or aired in calendar year 2025. Winners will be announced June 2026.

Contest Criteria:

The contest criteria will recognize an investigative story or series by a reporter or team on a single topic related to Freedom of Information or coverage of open meetings and public records. Entries should display original reporting that reveals information that is not generally known, and that government bodies or agencies may not want available for public scrutiny. 

The contest will be open to all news outlets in Tennessee, including broadcast.

Judges will consider depth of research, initiative, obstacles overcome, use of database and public records, use of multiple sources, and impact on public policy. Entries will be required to include a brief letter of explanation from the newsroom’s top editor. Judging will be conducted by a panel of retired newspaper editors from print and broadcast backgrounds as well as journalism professors in Tennessee.

To enter: send letter of explanation, pdf pages, story links, photos and/or video to: Mark Millsap, Executive Director of Tennessee Press Association at mmillsap@tnpress.com. Questions, email or call Mark Millsap at 865.584.5761 ext. 106.