Investigative reporters are trained to follow the money, but it takes resources to follow the money. That’s why the PNA Foundation and the A-Mark Foundation have created a new competition with cash prizes for Pennsylvania reporters and their newsrooms.
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association Foundation is partnering with the A-Mark Foundation to present the A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism in Pennsylvania with cash awards totaling up to $15,000.
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
About: The A-Mark Prize for Investigative Journalism in Pennsylvania is open to all journalists and all news organizations in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association represents the state’s newspapers and online news publications. 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 journalism in each state.
Criteria: This contest recognizes an investigative story or series by a reporter or team of reporters on a single topic. Entries may include a single investigative story or multiple stories over a period of time. Entries should display original reporting revealing information otherwise not generally known that individuals, governmental agencies, businesses, elected officials or organizations do not want under public scrutiny. Judging criteria include depth of research, initiative, obstacles overcome, use of databases and public records, analysis of documents and records, use of multiple sources and impact on public policy. Entries must include a brief letter of explanation describing the actual or potential impact of the report.
Eligibility for 2026 contest: This competition is open to all news media organizations based in Pennsylvania and their staff members, including newspapers, broadcast outlets and online news publications. Entries must have been published or aired between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2025. This competition is included in the Professional Keystone Media Awards Contest and must be submitted through the online contest system. There is no entry fee for PNA members; non-member entry fee applies for non-members. Deadline for submissions is Feb. 27, 2026.
Judging: Each year, this contest will be judged by a committee of retired Pennsylvania newspaper and broadcast journalists and/or representatives from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. Judges reserve the right to not award the number of specified awards or give no awards at all based on the number of entries received.
Winners will be announced in June and honored at the Keystone Media Awards Luncheon on Oct. 8, 2026, in Harrisburg. Details about the event will be available this summer.
2025 Winners:
- First Place: Spotlight PA/WESA (Pittsburgh’s NPR news station) – Investigative series tracking where opioid settlement money went in Pennsylvania, by Ed Mahon.
- Second Place: Spotlight PA – “Unprotected,” a series on elder abuse, by Angela Couloumbis.
- Third Place: Spotlight PA – “Top Penn State Health surgeon warned leaders about transplant problems months before shutdown. Then he was let go,’’ by Charlotte Keith and Wyatt Massey.
Read our 2025 Press Release.
Questions? Contact Teresa Shaak at 717-703-3003 or email foundation@pa-news.org for more details.
