
A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism in Hawaii offers cash awards totaling $15,000
The A-Mark Foundation and the Hawaii Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalism announce that the Hawaii Excellence in Journalism contest will feature the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism in Hawaii.
Investigative reporting is an important way of providing vital information to Hawaii residents on subjects that are not easy to find and require skills to uncover.
Thanks to the A-Mark Foundation there will be a total of $15,000 in cash prizes for reporters and newsrooms in Hawaii.
Eligibility Criteria
Who Can Apply: Individual reporters, editors, and freelance journalists based in Hawaii are welcome to apply, provided their work has been published or aired by Hawaii-based news media organizations. Open to all news media organizations based in Hawaii, including newspapers, radio and TV broadcast outlets, and digital-only platforms, and their reporters.
Publication Dates: Entries must have been published or aired in 2024.
Eligible Work: Submit a single article or blog entry or series of articles or blog entries on a single subject that was the result of extensive research and original investigation.
Entry Fee (per entry): $26 for SPJ Hawaii members, $31 for nonmembers.
How to Enter: Entries are made on the Hawaii Chapter SPJ 2024 Excellence in Journalism site.
Email: smorita1@twc.com to get registered.
Logging In: TO SUBMIT ENTRIES AFTER YOU ARE REGISTERED.
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1. Go to www.betterbnc.com and click on Contestant Log-in.
2. Select Contestant Manager or Authorized Entrant tabs. Click under Select Contest for: 2024 HSPJ Excellence in Journalism
3. Look in Select Media Organization box for your News Organization or name. (Not there? Contact Stirling Morita at smorita1@twc.com or (808) 347-0388.)
4. Click on your organization or name and type bnc under password. (You will be asked to provide your own password after logging in.)
5. Click on submit one now, when asked: You don't yet have any entries. Why not ....
6. Choose your Division.
7. Choose your Category.
8. Enter the headline or title of the story. It should match the headline on the PDF of the article, or the headline from the digital story link.
9. Add your story in Upload Attachments & Links:
a) Click on Browse and find your file (no more than 20 megabytes in size).
b) Or paste links to your stories.
10. Put in comments, if any, and the names of up to five people to be credited.
11. Hit Submit.
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Judges will use the following factors in deciding winning entries that:
Are well-researched, thorough and original work that provides new insights or uncovers or shines a light on important.
Are compelling and well presented with depth of research, initiative, use of databases and public records, analysis of documents and records
Show the potential impact of the reporting: Raising awareness of important issues, causing public debate, influencing changes or providing real solutions that lead to benefits for community or advances public understanding.

The Hawaii Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists will administer this competition, and it will be judged by the Louisville Chapter of SPJ.
The deadline to enter is March 16, 2025
Winners will receive the following prizes (winning submissions with multiple journalists or newsrooms will split the relevant prizes):
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 A-Mark Awards are expected to be presented in August at the annual awards dinner of the Hawaii SPJ.
About the A-Mark Foundation
The A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism is open to all journalists and all news organizations in Hawaii. The A-Mark Foundation is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 1997. A-Mark is dedicated to supporting and encouraging journalism and investigative reporting through grants to organizations that offer awards recognizing journalistic excellence. One of A-Mark's flagship initiatives is the A-Mark Prizes program, which recognizes and rewards the best investigative journalis