Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism

The Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism is administered by Penn State through the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. The award was created in 1994, with its creation announced at a ceremony at The National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Its purpose is to recognize distinguished contributions to the improvement of print and broadcast journalism through responsible analysis or critical evaluation. The award specifically honors work that evaluates news media coverage of significant subjects or issues and is intended to recognize work that takes a substantive, constructively critical look at the performance of publishers, editors, reporters, and other participants in the news media. Eligible work includes constructively critical articles, books, electronic and online media reports, academic and other research, and reports produced by media ombudsmen and journalism watchdog groups. Significant contributions may be current or cumulative and may come from media or other sources in the United States, provided they are consistent with the purposes of the award. The nomination should include work completed or continuing during the relevant calendar year. For cumulative work, entrants are instructed to limit the submission to representative examples. The source does not identify restrictions on how the honorarium may be spent, nor does it state any cost share or matching requirement. Both individuals and media or other organizations, enterprises, and groups are eligible. Examples expressly identified by the award include newspapers, periodicals, and broadcast or cable stations. Anyone may submit an entry on behalf of an eligible individual or organization, so the person submitting the nomination does not have to be the nominee. The award applies to significant contributions in the United States, with no state-specific restriction stated in the provided material. The submission process is comparatively simple. The award page provides an online award submission form and states that there are no application forms otherwise required. Each entry must be accompanied by a letter describing the nature and results of the work. Entrants must also provide the relevant published or aired material and any other necessary documentation. Links to completed work available online are acceptable. For cumulative bodies of work, representative examples should be submitted rather than the entire body of work. Entries are judged by professionals from journalism and journalism education. The source does not provide a separately enumerated scoring rubric, weighting system, or formal evaluation criteria. However, the stated purpose indicates that submissions should demonstrate responsible analysis or critical evaluation of news media and should represent significant contributions consistent with improving print or broadcast journalism. The requirement for a letter describing the nature and results of the work indicates that entrants should clearly document both what was done and the results or significance of that work. The winner receives a 2500 dollar honorarium. The winner is expected to attend an award ceremony conducted in September on the Penn State campus and speak about the subject for which the individual is being honored. For materials published in 2026, the submission deadline is January 31, 2027. The award page does not state a separate application opening date or a specific winner notification date. The structure of the award around work completed or continuing in a calendar year, followed by a January deadline and September ceremony, supports treatment as a recurring award cycle. Questions may be directed to Steve Sampsell, Director of Strategic Communications at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, at steves@psu.edu. Postal correspondence concerning the award may be sent to Bart Richards Award, Penn State, Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, 115 Carnegie Building, University Park, PA 16802. No program telephone number specific to the award is identified in the provided award information. The general college page lists 814-863-1484, but the source does not identify that number as the award contact number.

Explain the nature and results of the work clearly and demonstrate how the submission provides constructive criticism responsible analysis or critical evaluation of news media. Emphasize the significance of the contribution and its consistency with improving journalism. For cumulative work submit representative examples.