An Award Identifying the Best Journalists Under the Age of 35 

The Livingston Awards for Young Journalists were established in 1981 to recognize outstanding reporting and bolster the careers of journalists under the age of 35. For more than four decades, the Livingston Awards have identified exceptional young journalists and the next generation of newsroom leaders.

Each year, prizes of $10,000 each are presented in local, national and international reporting. Winners are selected by our panel of judges, who share a longtime commitment to our program and are highly respected for their achievements in journalism.

The Livingston Awards invite print, online, video, audio and data visualization entries.

Winning the award helps talented young reporters develop the confidence and the institutional backing to continue producing ambitious projects. National recognition leads winners to new stories, new audiences and new career opportunities. The distinguished names of past winners include David Remnick, Christiane Amanpour, Ira Glass, Michelle Norris and Steve Coll.

In addition, the Richard M. Clurman Award honors superb on-the-job mentors who improve journalism by exemplifying excellence in nurturing, critiquing and inspiring young journalists. The Clurman Award is presented alongside the annual Livingston Awards. More about the Clurman Award »

Celebrating the Winners

Among the most inspiring journalism events of the year, we will announce our 2025 winners in local, national and international reporting and the Clurman Award recipient on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at our annual luncheon ceremony in New York City.

Public Engagement with Livingston Winners

More than a prize, the Livingston Awards are a year-round program. Through our public engagement, winners train journalists at industry conferences and workshops and share their stories with audiences beyond journalism at speaking engagements arranged by the Livingston Awards. The Livingston Lectures, part of the Wallace House Presents event series, spark conversation and connect winners to communities affected by the issues exposed in the winning stories and elevate the role of a free press in a democratic society.

How It Started

Mollie Parnis Livingston, one of America’s first fashion designers known by name, established the Livingston Awards in 1981 to honor her son, Robert, who published the journalism review More.

Mollie loved the top young talent in the fashion business and gathered them around her, a practice she later extended to journalists. To her delight, she realized that the awards were creating a journalistic “family” of considerable and growing distinction. Her prizes for young journalists recognized talent early and encouraged quality journalism—something both Mollie and her son Robert cared deeply about.

Richard Clurman, former Chief of Correspondents for Time-Life News Service, conceived of the awards with Mollie, and brought aboard Charles Eisendrath to design and implement the prize.

Support

The Livingston Awards are supported by the University of Michigan, Knight Foundation, the Indian Trail Charitable Foundation, the Mollie Parnis Livingston Foundation, Christiane Amanpour, Dr. Gil Omenn and Martha Darling, the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation and individual contributions.

The continued growth and stature of the program rely on philanthropic support from generous institutions and individuals.

Learn how you can support the Livingston Awards and the essential work of journalists.

Learn how your organization can become a sponsor of the Livingston Awards.