2026 MRE Journalism Contest Details - Military Reporters and Editors

Named after UPI combat correspondent and McClatchy Newspaper columnist, Joe Galloway, this award is for the Best of Show and is selected by the independent contest judges from all contest entries.

James Crawley Award

$500 prize to winning journalist

This is in remembrance of Jim Crawley, a former president and member of MRE. Crawley was the chief military reporter at the San Diego Union-Tribune. He later covered national security and veterans affairs for Media General News Service. This is Military Reporters & Editors top honor chosen specifically by the contest judges from all text media submissions.

Award By Category

AUDIO MEDIA Awards

Military Reporters & Editors offers four awards for audio journalism. Two awards are open to all audio journalism formats, including broadcast radio, online audio and podcasts, while two awards are reserved for radio only, based on market.

Best Audio Documentary

Best Audio Talk Show or Interview

Awards by Market for Radio

Best Radio News

Division 1: International/National Market

Division 2: Local/Regional Market

TEXT MEDIA Awards

Military Reporters & Editors offers eight awards for traditional print and online written-word journalism, in two separate divisions based on a media outlet’s newsroom size.

Best Breaking News Reporting

Best Commentary / Opinion

Best Enterprise / Feature Reporting

Best Investigative Reporting

Division 1: Newsrooms with 20 or more reporters

Division 2: Newsrooms with fewer than 20 reporters

VIDEO MEDIA Awards

Military Reporters & Editors offers four awards for broadcast television or online video journalism, in two separate divisions based on media outlet’s market.

Best TV / Video News

Best TV / Video Documentary

Division 1: International/National Market

Division 2: Local/Regional Market

VISUAL MEDIA Award

Military Reporters & Editors offers one award for news photography published either in print or online.

Best Photojournalism

STUDENT MEDIA PROJECT

Military Reporters & Editors offers one award for a journalism student’s work submitted in any format – text, video, audio, visual media.

Best Promising Journalist

*At the sole discretion of contest judges a piece of work could be singled out for “Honorable Mention” resulting in more than 20 total awards.

QUICK FAQs

2026 MRE Journalism Contest

What are the contest dates?

The 2026 MRE Journalism Contest opens Wednesday, June 24.

The 2026 MRE Journalism Contest closes Sunday, July 26.

What are the publication dates accepted for entry?

Content published between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026 is eligible for submission.

Who can enter?

Individual journalists or teams published via print, broadcast, or online media producing original content focused on U.S. and non-U.S. military, veteran affairs, homeland defense, national security, or warfare are eligible to enter the contest.

Correspondents and freelancers meeting the above criteria are also eligible.

Students enrolled full- or part-time in graduate or undergraduate programs are eligible to submit an entry.

Military Reporters & Editors (MRE) officers and board of directors are not eligible.

Who judges the MRE contest?

Judging is done by a panel independent of MRE, its officers and board of directors.

All decisions by the judges are final.

When are winners announced?

Winners will be notified at the conclusion of judging.

Winning entries will be posted on the MRE website.

Winners are encouraged to attend the awards ceremony held during its annual conference in Washington, D.C., on Friday, November 13, 2026.

Where do I enter the contest?

You can access the contest at https://mrecontest.org.

Take me to the contest

OFFICIAL RULES

2026 MRE Journalism Contest

Contest Calendar

All work entered must have been originally published, broadcast, aired or posted online between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.

Contest Entry Fee

A $50 entry fee must be paid for the first entry.

A $25 entry fee must be paid for additional entries.

Entry fees are non-refundable.

Eligible MRE members may receive an entry fee waiver for their first contest entry.

This benefit applies to members submitting an entry for their own work; the member discount may not be assigned to another person. This is because the award is given to journalists; the publishing media outlet or organization is recognized but is not the official award recipient.

Application for membership must be approved and membership active before a contest entry is submitted for the member to be eligible for the fee waiver.

Members should login to the MRE website and visit the member’s page to pick up their discount code before entering the contest.

The MRE membership fee waiver cannot be applied retroactively.

There is no fee for students entering the Student Media Project category.

Contest Entry

All contest account, registration and entry forms must be submitted with payment as required for a complete contest entry.

A journalist may self-submit to the contest or an editor or producer or other professional associate may enter the contest on a journalist’s behalf.

The entrant is identified as the journalist whose byline appears on the work and to whom an award is given.

In the case of a series entry, the primary journalist should be the named entrant and their name must appear on the byline of all articles from the series submitted to the contest for consideration.

Contest submission requirements are governed by an entry category.

No more than four entries may be submitted by or for one journalist (entrant).

Contest Entry Guidelines

Entry guidelines are provided, as well as entry category descriptions.

It is up to the entrant to comply with contest rules and requirements outlined throughout contest documentation and forms.

English Language

All work must have been originally published, printed, broadcast, aired or posted online in the English language.

Entry Disqualification

An entry may be disqualified if contest rules are not followed.

Inaccessible or broken or faulty submission links will disqualify an entry.

An entry may be disqualified and deleted without proper entry registration.

Entry Deadline

All entries must be submitted by 3 p.m. EDT Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Entry Materials File Formats

PDF file for each article – all text media.

Text with article graphics is acceptable.
Text only (Format Simplified) pdf is acceptable. Please include header information for easy identification of publication URL.
PDF (preferred) without ads or links to ads.
Text must be legible and properly aligned on pages for crisp and easy reading.

MP3 file for audio media.

MP4 file for video media.

JPG (preferred) or PNG for visual image media

Journalist Headshot

A recent headshot for each journalist named on an entry is requested.

The image should be no smaller than 600px X 600px.

This will be published on the MRE website with a winning submission.

Journalist Biography

A brief 100-300 word biography for each journalist named on an entry is required.

Publication Date

All work must have a verifiable publication, broadcast, air or post date.

Publisher

All work must have a publication name or name of media outlet, website listed on the content(s).

Links

Original publication URLs (web addresses) are required for all entry submissions originally published online.

When a link is provided for submission review it must be functional, valid, and accessible.

Instructions must be provided to access article(s) behind a paywall, along with login credentials.

MRE needs unrestricted access throughout the judging period to material for viewing.

A limit of one free article a month or limit of three free articles a month, etc. is not acceptable for judges who may need access numerous times for review and reference during the contest.

If links cannot be accessed, it is the entrant’s responsibility to set up or arrange an acceptable solution.

Links to Third-Party Platforms

The use of links to third-party websites and sharing platforms for entry submissions such as YouTube, Vimeo or SoundCloud is permissible.

Links must remain active for a period of one year.

Reprint Permission

By submitting an entry to the MRE Journalism Contest – including a journalist biography, headshot – permission is granted to Military Reporters & Editors to display winning entries on the MRE website free of any obligations to an individual entrant or parent company.

ENTRY CATEGORIES

2026 MRE Journalism Contest

There are 18 different categories available for entry.

AUDIO MEDIA Categories

Content broadcast via radio or as audio or podcast through online media outlets.
There are two different categories across all audio platforms and one radio news category with two market-based divisions, for a total of four categories.*

Best Audio Documentary

Show us your for best audio, radio, or podcast coverage on a topic related to the military, veterans, or war.

Single Entry Details:

Entry may be either an individual’s or team’s work.
Entry may be a single episode, series of episodes, or season.
Entry must be submitted as a single recording (link and/or upload) with a maximum length of 30 minutes and edits clearly marked.

Best Audio Talk Show or Interview

Show us your best audio, radio, or podcast coverage on a topic related to the military, veterans, or war.

Single Entry Details:

Entry may be either an individual’s or team’s work.
Entry may be a single episode, series of episodes, or season.
Entry must be submitted as a single recording (link and/or upload) with a maximum length of 30 minutes and edits clearly marked.

Best Radio News

Division 1: International / National Market
Division 2: Local / Regional Market

Show us your best radio news coverage on a single topic of interest related to the military, veterans, or war.

Single Entry Details:

Entry may be either an individual’s or team’s work.
Entry may be a single report or a series of reports on the same topic.
Entry must be submitted as a single recording (link and/or upload) with a maximum length of 15 minutes and edits clearly marked.

TEXT MEDIA Categories

Content published as text in traditional print or online news outlets.
There are four different categories in two divisions based on newsroom size for a total of eight categories.*

Division 1: Newsrooms with 20 or more reporters
Division 2: Newsrooms with fewer than 20 reporters

Best Breaking News Reporting

Show us your best work exemplifying breaking coverage of a major news event on deadline.

Single Entry Details:

Entry may be either an individual’s or team’s work.
Entry may be a single report or a series of reports on the same topic.
Entry may contain one to four articles on the same topic.

Best Commentary / Opinion

Show us your best work as a columnist on topics covering the military, national security, or homeland defense on a regular basis.

Single Entry Details:

Entry must be the work of one journalist.
Entry must include five columns.

Best Enterprise / Feature Reporting

Show us your best work on a single topic containing numerous voices, creativity, sources of information/data or focused reporting that provides deeper context into a subject, in contrast to a typical news story.

Single Entry Details:

Entry may be either an individual’s or team’s work.
Entry may be a single report or a series of reports on the same topic.
Entry may contain one to four articles on the same topic.

Award for best work demonstrating in-depth, analytical skills, with information gathered over time, originality, use of public records, if they apply, and outcomes of the investigation.

Best Investigative Reporting

Single Entry Details:

Entry may be either an individual’s or team’s work.
Entry may be a single report or a series of reports on the same topic.
Entry may contain one to four articles on the same topic.

VIDEO MEDIA Categories

Content broadcast via television or as video through online media outlets.
There are two different categories with two divisions based on market for broadcast and online media for a total of four categories.*
Division 1: International / National Market
Division 2: Local / Regional Market

Best TV / Video News

Show us your best news coverage on a single topic related to the military, veterans, or war.

Single Entry Details:

Entry may be either an individual’s or team’s work.
Entry may be a single report or a series of reports on the same topic.
Entry must be submitted as a single video (link and/or upload) with a maximum length of 15 minutes and edits clearly marked.

Best TV / Video Documentary

Show us your best documentary or docuseries designed around a single topic related to the military.

Single Entry Details:

Entry may be either an individual’s or team’s work.
Entry may be a single episode or a series of episodes on the same topic.
Entry must be submitted as a single video (link and/or upload) with a maximum length of 30 minutes and edits clearly marked.

VISUAL MEDIA Categories

Content published as visual media in traditional print or online media outlets.
There is one category for photography.*

Best Photojournalism

Show us your best photography on a single topic related to the military, defense or veterans’ news or war coverage.

Single Entry Details:

Entry must be an individual photographer’s work.
Entry may be a single image or a series of images on the same topic.
Entry may include one to five related images.

*Judges reserve the right to correct categorization of an entry.

STUDENT MEDIA Project Category

Content published across all contest categories is eligible.
There is one category for student work.*

Best Promising Journalist

Submit your best student package or project that expertly uses print or digital storytelling to inform its audience regarding a specific story or topic related to military, veterans, or war.

Judges will consider the quality of journalism, design, creative and appropriate uses of media, and the ways in which print, digital and mobile platforms are maximized to engage and inform audiences.

Entry Details:

Refer to media-specific categories for details.

ENTRY GUIDELINES

2026 MRE Journalism Contest

The information below is intended to assist you as you prepare your contest entry. Details are specific to categories. You may find it helpful to refer back to the Official Rules, as well.

Audio MEDIA Guidelines

Summary

Audio Media entries may be a single report, broadcast, episode, or podcast, or series, by either an individual journalist or a team.

Radio News entries are limited to 15 minutes maximum.
Talk Show/Interview or Documentary entries are limited to 30 minutes maximum.

Basic entry information and materials:

Headline for entry
Original publication date – date of broadcast or airing.
Original publication place – name of broadcast station, online media, website, or streaming channel.
PDF cover letter.
Original URL where aired if published online.
Name of journalist.
PDF biography brief of journalist.
Submission link, MP3 clip upload for upload, or both for contest entry review.

Optional but appreciated:

PDF Transcript
JPG or PNG headshot of journalist.
Additional credits for the work.

Gather & Prepare

Select Entry Items

Prepare Cover Letter
- A cover letter in PDF format is required for file upload.
- Include content or podcast description with credits for any sponsoring organization or names of individuals.

Identify Original Publication URL*
- Provide the original URL (web address) if published online.

Prepare Journalist Biography
- Biography in PDF format is required for file upload.
- Provide an edited 100-300 word biography for the entering journalist.
- Provide an edited 100-300 word biography for each team member appearing on the byline.
- Please do not submit extensive biographies. One brief biography per journalist is requested.
- Example: If you have three bylined journalists, you will upload three pdf files.

Prepare Entry Submission Items
- Provide a submission link or MP3 file for upload or both.
  - Links may be direct or to third-party platforms such as SoundCloud or YouTube.
  - MP3 file upload must be smaller than 2.5G.
  - If recording is edited for length, edits can include clearly audible edits.
  - Verify total listening time does not exceed entry limits.

Prepare Optional Transcript
- Provide a transcript in PDF format for file upload. Transcript may be helpful to the judges.
- Limit one transcript file upload.

Prepare Optional Journalist Headshot
- Image should be either a JPG or PNG and no smaller than 600 X 600 pixels.
- Provide a picture for publication of the entering journalist.
- Provide a picture for each team member named in the byline(s).
- Example: If you have three bylined journalists, you will upload three images.

Gather Optional Credits
- Include the names and titles of those who additionally contributed to the work, e.g., producer, etc., for acknowledgement if the entry is a winner.
- Take Note: Appropriate credits may be included in the cover letter.

Multiple Audio Programs In One Entry

If your contest entry consists of multiple reports, broadcasts, episodes or podcasts, or is a series, you will need information in addition to the above.

Identify Original Publication Dates
- For each included in the entry.
Identify Original Publication Place
- For each included in the entry.

Identify Original Publication URL*
- For each included in the entry.

Prepare Entry Submission
- Create a single recording (compiled and edited). Its total listening time may not exceed entry limits. OR
- If you submit multiple links or recordings, verify, the total listening time does not exceed entry limits.

*NOTE: In many cases, the original publication URL and the submission link will be the same.

Text MEDIA Guidelines

Summary

Text Media entries (exception of Commentary/Opinion) should include one to four articles. Multiple articles in one entry should be related, as in beat or single-topic coverage, or published as a series and authored by the entering journalist.

Commentary/Opinon entries should include five columns by the entering columnist.

Basic entry information and materials:

Original date of publication.
Original place of publication.
PDF document for each article submitted.
Original URL where each article was published if published online.
Name(s) of journalist(s) on each article byline.
PDF biography brief of journalist(s) named on byline.

Optional but appreciated:

Submission link for online review by judges.
Cover letter in PDF format.
JPG or PNG headshot of each journalist on byline.
Additional credits for the work.

Gather & Prepare

Select Entry Items

Prepare Each Article PDF – Clear, Legible, Aligned
- Text with article graphics is acceptable.
- Text only pdf is acceptable
- PDF without ads or links to ads is preferred.
- Hint: When viewing your article use the print pdf command, select “simplified” format and include header information for judges’ easy identification/verification of publication url.

Identify Each Article Original Publication URL*
- Provide the original URL (web address) of article if originally published online.

Prepare Journalist Biography
- Biography in PDF format is required for file upload.
- Provide an edited 100-300 word biography for the entering journalist.
- Provide an edited 100-300 word biography for each team member appearing on the byline.
- Please do not submit extensive biographies. One brief biography per journalist is requested.
- Example: If you have three bylined journalists, you will upload three biography pdf files.

Identify Optional Submission Link* – Accessible
- Provide a link for each article you would like viewed/reviewed by judges online.
- Include necessary login credentials for unlimited access to the article behind paywalls during the contest period.

Prepare Optional Cover Letter
- A cover letter in PDF format may be included with a contest entry.

Prepare Optional Journalist Headshot
- Image should be either a JPG or PNG and no smaller than 600X600 pixels.
- Provide a picture for publication of the entering journalist.
- Provide a picture for each team member named in the byline(s).
- Example: If you have three bylined journalists, you will upload three images.

Gather Optional Credits
- Include the names and titles of those who additionally contributed to the work, e.g., editor or photographer, for acknowledgement if the entry is a winner.

*NOTE: In many cases, the original article URL and the optional submission link will be the same.

Video MEDIA Guidelines

Summary

Video Media entries may be a single report, broadcast, program, or episode or a series or docuseries by the journalist or a team.

TV/Video News entries are limited to 15 minutes maximum.
TV/Video Documentary entries are limited to 30 minutes maximum.

Basic entry information and materials:

Headline for entry
Original publication date – date of broadcast or airing.
Original publication place – name of broadcast station, online media, website, or streaming channel.
PDF cover letter.
Original URL where aired if published online.
Name of journalist.
PDF biography brief of journalist.
Submission link, MP4 clip upload for upload, or both for contest entry review.

Optional but appreciated:

PDF Transcript
JPG or PNG headshot of journalist.
Additional credits for the work.

Gather & Prepare

Select Entry Items

Prepare Cover Letter
- A cover letter in PDF format is required for file upload.

Identify Original Publication URL*
- Provide the original URL (web address) if published online.

Prepare Journalist Biography
- Biography in PDF format is required for file upload.
- Provide an edited 100-300 word biography for the entering journalist.
- Provide an edited 100-300 word biography for each team member appearing on the byline.
- Please do not submit extensive biographies. One brief biography per journalist is requested.
- Example: If you have three bylined journalists, you will upload three pdf files.

Prepare Entry Submission Items
- Create a submission link or MP4 file for upload or both.
  - Links may be direct or to third-party platforms such as Vimeo or YouTube.
  - MP4 file upload must be smaller than 2.5G. Please compress, optimize videos before uploading.
  - If video is edited for length, edits must be clearly indicated by a tone or silence.
  - Verify all video viewing does not exceed entry limits.

Prepare Optional Transcript
- Provide a transcript in PDF format for file upload. Transcript may be helpful to the judges.
- Limit one transcript file upload.

Prepare Optional Journalist Headshot
- Image should be either a JPG or PNG and no smaller than 600 X 600 pixels.
- Provide a picture for publication of the entering journalist.
- Provide a picture for each team member named in the byline(s).
- Example: If you have three bylined journalists, you will upload three images.

Gather Optional Credits
- Include the names and titles of those who additionally contributed to the work, e.g., producer, videographer, etc., for acknowledgement if the entry is a winner.

Multiple Video Programs In One Entry

If your contest entry consists of multiple reports, broadcasts, or episodes or is a docuseries, you will need information in addition to the above.

Identify Original Publication Dates
- For each included in the entry.
Identify Original Publication Place
- For each included in the entry.

Identify Original Publication URL*
- For each included in the entry.

Entry Submission
- If you create a single video (compiled and edited), verify its total viewing does not exceed entry limits.
- If you submit multiple links or files, the total viewing time of all videos added together may not exceed entry limits.

*NOTE: In many cases, the original publication URL and the submission link will be the same.

Visual MEDIA Guidelines

Summary

Visual Media entries may include a single image submission or a series submission with up to five images. Multiple images in one entry should be related to a single topic by the entering photographer.

Basic entry information and materials:

Name of photographer.
Original date of publication for each photograph.
Original place of publication for each photograph.
Title of each photograph.
If series submission, headline for series.
PNG or JPG image for each picture.
Documentation of photo publication – PDF, JPG or PNG.
If published online, original URL where each photo was published.
PDF cover letter.
PDF biography brief of photographer.

Optional but appreciated:

Submission link for online review by judges, if published online.
JPG or PNG headshot of photographer.
Additional credits for the work.

Gather & Prepare

Select Entry Items

Identify Image Original Publication URL*
- Provide the original URL (web address) where image was published, if online.
Gather Entry Submission Items
- Upload JPG or PNG image for submission.
Prepare Documentation of Publication
- Provide a screenshot if published online or a photograph of page of publication to document each photograph’s publication.
- Upload in PDF or JPG or PNG format.
Prepare Cover Letter
- A cover letter in PDF format is required describing the work.

Prepare Journalist Biography
- Biography in PDF format is required for file upload.
- Provide an edited 100-300 word biography for the entering photographer.

Identify Optional Submission Link* – Accessible
- Provide a link for each photograph you would like viewed/reviewed by judges online.
- Include necessary login credentials for unlimited access to the article behind paywalls during the contest period.

Prepare Optional Journalist Headshot
- Image should be either a JPG or PNG and no smaller than 600X600 pixels.
- Provide a picture for publication of the entering photographer.

Gather Optional Credits
- Include the names and titles of those who additionally contributed to the work, e.g., editor for acknowledgement if the entry is a winner.

*NOTE: In many cases, the original article URL and the optional submission link will be the same.

Student MEDIA

Project Eligibility & Requirements

To be eligible, the entire project must have been produced only by enrolled students receiving academic credit for the work being entered or must be created for a student publication.

Work produced for pay is not eligible for a student award (that is, freelance work, etc. Receipt of student aid is not a disqualifier).

Work that was created by a student for credit but then made available to a commercial publication is allowed but should be explained in the entry.

Student Guidelines

Please refer to the guidelines above and apply as they relate to your individual project.

updated 7/15/2025