Visit the links below to see the full list of finalists and purchase tickets the awards ceremony, May 14 at the Harvard Club of NYC.
2026 Deadline Club Awards
About
The Deadline Club journalism competition, one of the most prestigious in New York, draws more than 550 entries each year. The 2026 contest covers work that was published or broadcast in 2025 by news organizations in the New York area.
KEY DATES
The submission window for contest entries opens December 12 and closes February 13, 2026.
Finalists are announced in April. Winners are announced at the Awards Dinner in May 2026.
February 13Submission window closes
DEADLINE EXTENDEDFinal submissions due February 16
AprilFinalists announced
May 14
Winners announced at Awards Dinner
Rules and Eligibility
Entrants must be employees of or freelancers for news organizations with an office within a 50-mile radius of Columbus Circle in New York City. There are 36 categories covering all media formats. It is important to review the categories carefully to determine entry eligibility.
Contest Categories
36 categories covering everything from print, broadcast, radio, podcasting, photo, public service reporting, coverage on communities of color, investigative reporting, sports, multimedia, interactive graphics and animation, science, technology, medical or environmental reporting and many more categories.
Entry Fees & Payment
There are two fee deadlines. The fee is $90 per entry through the first deadline of January 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Fees will increase to $120 per entry between the first deadline and the final deadline of February 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Special Instructions
Our contest is managed by BetterBNC and requires contestants to create an OPEN CALL CONTESTANT ACCOUNT before they can enter. Once your Open Call account is verified by email (please check spam filters for the automated message from BetterBNC), complete your contestant profile and click on “My Contests” under the Open Call Contestant navigation bar menu. Search “My Contests” for “2026 Deadline Club Awards.” You will be automatically approved as a contestant in our contest and can proceed to “Manage Entries” under the Open Call Contestant navigation menu. Click on “Submit Entry” to begin completing your entry form.