The Covering Climate Now (CCNow), an organisation that supports, convenes, and trains journalists and newsrooms to produce rigorous climate coverage that effectively engages audiences, has announced that submissions are now open for the 2026 edition of the Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards and is inviting journalists from around the world to submit outstanding reporting on climate change published in 2025.
The annual awards programme, now in its sixth year, recognises exceptional reporting across the many critical dimensions of the climate story and celebrates journalists whose work advances public understanding of climate issues. The organisation noted that more than 1,200 entries were received from journalists across dozens of countries in the previous edition, with winners emerging from both large and small media outlets whose reporting represented the leading edge of climate journalism.
Entries for the 2026 awards are currently open and will be accepted until March 31, 2026, at 11:59 pm US Eastern Time (03:59 UTC on April 1). Participation is free of charge, and all journalists are welcome to apply, regardless of whether they are affiliated with a CCNow partner outlet.
Entry submissions will be accepted across 14 subject-based categories, highlighting important areas of the climate story such as solutions, justice, and health. Multiple winners will be chosen in each category to reflect different styles, story lengths, newsroom sizes, and regions, showcasing the diverse ways journalists around the world report on similar climate issues.
In addition to the subject categories, awards will be given in the “Large Projects and Collaborations” category, the “Emerging Journalists of the Year” category for early-career journalists showing exceptional promise, and the “Journalists of the Year” category for three journalists whose work demonstrates outstanding commitment and a transformative impact on climate reporting. A diverse international jury of experienced journalists, including previous award recipients, will select the winners, who are expected to be announced towards the end of the year.
The award honours journalists who deliver exceptional climate storytelling that upholds the highest standards of journalism, this includes work that makes climate change accessible to audiences with science-based reporting that is clear and engaging, highlights the human impact of climate change, holds those in power accountable while exposing disinformation and unethical practices, emphasises the disproportionate effects of climate change on marginalised communities, including people of colour, Indigenous peoples, the poor, women, and children, explores solutions from all sectors of public life, including policy and community initiatives, and moves climate reporting beyond partisan framing to show that the climate crisis is a collective global challenge.
All eligible work for the 2026 Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards must have been published or broadcast in 2025. However, for series in the “Large Projects & Collaborations” category, most work should be from 2025, but some may be from 2024 or 2026, and in the “Emerging Journalists” and “Journalists of the Year” categories, up to two of the five required pieces may be from past years or 2026.
Submissions are open to journalists worldwide, including freelancers and news organisations of all sizes. Outlets can also submit entries by different journalists.
Journalistic work in all mediums is eligible, including writing, audio, video, photography, multimedia, editorial cartoons, and data, and all styles are accepted, including breaking news, features, opinion/commentary, investigations, newsletters, and documentaries. However, books and academic work are not accepted.
Submission information should be provided in English, and if the original work is not in English, an English translation must be attached. Work must focus on climate change, not just environmental issues, or clearly show the connection to climate change, as stories primarily about environmental topics like pollution or endangered species without climate relevance are generally not considered climate stories, while stories addressing environmental issues with significant climate implications, such as deforestation’s effect on carbon storage, are acceptable.
Individual journalists can submit one entry across all subject categories, and can also self-nominate in the “Emerging Journalists” or “Journalists of the Year” categories. Also, newsroom leaders can submit up to three entries for their outlet and one entry each in the “Large Projects & Collaborations”, “Emerging Journalists,” and “Journalists of the Year” categories, ensuring that entries are not duplicated and the same work is not submitted in multiple categories.
Each entry may include one long-form piece or two to four short-form pieces on the same subject, with long-form written pieces defined as over 2,500 words and long-form audio or video over 10 minutes, while short-form written pieces are 2,500 words or less and short-form audio or video are 10 minutes or less. Multiple short-form pieces should include work by different authors, and collaborative work is allowed in the subject categories. In the “Large Projects & Collaborations” category, up to five pieces should be submitted, and in the “Emerging Journalists” and “Journalists of the Year” categories, five pieces are required.
Preferred file formats for submissions are web links, PDFs for written content, .mp3 or .m4a for audio, .mp4, .wmv, or .mov for video, and .jpeg, .jpg, .png, or .pdf for photography, with proof of publication required for photographs.
The organisation noted that multiple judges will review each entry, taking into account different media, styles, and resources, to select the work that explores each category most effectively and memorably.Top of Form
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For more information about the awards, visit The 2026 CCNow Journalism Awards — Covering Climate Now or send enquiries to awards@coveringclimatenow.org.
To apply, click here
