The Sidney Hillman Foundation awards the Hillman Prizes for Journalism in the U.S and Canada, as well as the monthly Sidney Awards for investigative journalism in service of the common good.
CANADA: The call for entries for the 2027 Canadian Hillman Prizes is now open. The deadline to enter is January 15 at 11:59PM.
U.S: The call for entries for the 2027 U.S Hillman Prizes opens on December 1. The deadline to enter is January 30 at 11:59PM.
All U.S Hillman Prize entries will automatically be considered for the annual SEIU Award for Reporting on Racial and Economic Justice.
Eligible entries include reporting in newspapers, magazines and online, as well as television, podcasts and radio, tablets and multi-media.
The judges will select entries in the following categories: print/digital, broadcast (tv, radio, podcast) and local/community news.
This form will close at 11:59 p.m. on January 15, 2027.
The contest is open to journalists and subjects globally, although the reporting must have been published in 2026 in Canada. Self-published work is not eligible. You may nominate your own work or someone else's.
There is no fee to enter.
The cover letter should be 1-2 pages and summarize the content and impact of the reporting and explain why it deserves the prize according to the mission of the Sidney Hillman Foundation. If a large team, please tell us who the primary authors are who would come receive the prize at our event.
Please submit URL's and/or upload files, and include paywall login if applicable
Please submit a well-focused story proposal of no more than three pages. Think of it as a pitch, much like you would submit to an editor: give us enough preliminary reporting and documentation to demonstrate that the story is solid. The proposal should highlight what’s new and significant about the story, why it matters now, any unique access or documents you may have, and what its potential impact might be.
There is no deadline. We will accept pitches on a rolling basis.
The maximum grant will be $5,000 but grants of varying amounts will be awarded based on demonstrated need. You must have an outlet already attached.