David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—News 2026 ($5,000 prize)

Deadline: April 19, 2026

Applications are open for the David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—News 2026. The David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—News recognizes excellence in science news reporting produced under deadline pressure. It is named for the late David Perlman, longtime science editor of the San Francisco Chronicle.

This award recognizes excellence in reporting a news story or series that meets one or more of the following criteria: Brings new information or concepts about AGU sciences to the public’s attention, identifies and corrects misconceptions about AGU sciences, or makes AGU sciences accessible and interesting to general audiences without sacrificing accuracy.

Award

Recipients receive the following:

• A $5,000 prize
• An engraved award
• Recognition in Eos
• Recognition at AGU’s annual meeting the year the honor is awarded
• Paid travel expenses up to $1,000
• Two tickets to the Honors Banquet at AGU’s annual meeting the year the honor is awarded
• Note: As members of the press, awardees also receive complimentary registration to AGU’s Annual Meeting

Eligibility

• Nominations are open to journalists working in any medium, except books.
• A nominee must be the author of the submitted story. In the case of collaborative efforts, those involved must determine who is or are the nominee(s) up to four people, which can include contributors to the audio and visual aspect of the entry. Story elements (e.g., photos, graphics, video) will not be considered in judging if their creators are not nominated.
• The nominee must be an author who is employed in one the following arenas:
  • Print or electronic news publication,
  • Broadcast or cable station, or broadcast network
  • Freelance journalist.
• A person or group may be nominated or may self-nominate for both the Perlman and Sullivan awards in one year. But no individual or group is permitted to win both awards in the same year.
• Nominees who have won the Perlman Award during the past two award cycles are not eligible to enter a nomination for the Perlman Award for the current award cycle. (i.e., the 2024 and 2025 Perlman Award recipients are not eligible for the 2026 award.)

Entries

• Eligible entries must have been first published between 1 January and 31 December of the year prior to the award year (i.e., must have been first published between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025 to be eligible for the 2026 award).
• Eligible entries must have been intended for, and available to, the general public.
• Entries must be in English (or include an English translation).
• A nominee may submit only one entry for the award in a given year. If a nominee has multiple entries, AGU staff will contact the nominee to clarify which story they’d prefer to advance to judging.
• Eligible news stories must focus on one or more of the scientific disciplines represented by AGU. Click here for a full listing. Please note: Policy-focused stories without a substantial discussion of the science behind the policy are ineligible. Email them at [email protected] if you have questions regarding this criterion.
• If each segment of a series was identified at the time of publication as being part of the series, the series is eligible to be judged as one entry. Alternatively, coverage of an ongoing activity, such as a scientific society meeting or a natural event, can be regarded as a series. However, no more than three segments of any series may be submitted for judging.

Nomination

Click here to nominate

For more information, visit David Perlman Award.