Entry Period for $3,000 Brechner Freedom of Information Award Now Open

The Brechner Center for Freedom of Information today announced that the entry period for the 2023 Brechner Center for Freedom of Information Award, recognizing excellence in news reporting across all media platforms that was aired or published during 2022. Applications are due March 1, 2023, and there is no fee to enter.

The $3,000 cash award seeks to reward journalism published by a U.S.-based news organization, or collaborative of organizations, that advances the public’s right to know.

The Award has been presented annually since 1986 by the Brechner Center at the University of Florida to reward excellence in reporting that draws on government documents and data, shedding light on official secrecy. The prize money is made possible by an endowment created by the Brechner family.

Stories or series of stories related to these topics and published in a general circulation (non-academic) news medium (print, online or broadcast) will meet contest eligibility. Successful entrants will show how their reporting drew on documents and data to spotlight previously under-appreciated issues, or otherwise used the power of transparency for the public’s benefit against untoward secrecy in powerful institutions. Letters explaining the circumstances under which the entries were written and any results of the published stories are welcome.

There is no entry form. Entries (links or PDF files are acceptable, so long as the links will lead directly to the article without a login or subscription) may be submitted electronically to Diana Mitsu Klos at consultdmk@gmail.com.

In addition to the cash award, the recipient(s) will be honored in April at a Florida Free Speech Forum luncheon in Gainesville.

Articles that have won the award have appeared in The Associated Press, Reuters, The Oregonian, Miami Herald, The Washington Post, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Kaiser Health News. Read more about the past winners.

For more information, contact Diana Mitsu Klos at consultdmk@gmail.com.

Posted: January 30, 2023
Category: Brechner Center, College News
Tagged as: Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Award