New award for innovation in journalism this year

TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2025 /CNW/ - The National Newspaper Awards is now accepting entries for journalism published in 2025.

Entries will be accepted in 24 categories, including a new award for innovation in journalism.

Other changes to this year's awards include newly named Digital Storytelling (replacing Presentation and Design) and Illustrated Commentary (replacing Editorial Cartooning), with broader criteria for entries. Local Reporting will also be available for entry by newsroom size, in Small, Medium and Large categories.

The contest is open to print or digital publications that publish content at least five days a week. Smaller news outlets that typically, but not always, publish at least five days a week online are also eligible for the competition.

The awards will continue to allow submissions in any language in all categories. For the third year in a row, the Special Topic category is restricted to work done in a language other than French or English. The awards also continue to welcome submissions from Canadian journalists or organizations who would otherwise be ineligible in its Special Recognition Citation.

All entries must have been published in 2025 by an eligible organization, as defined under the contest entry rules. Rules and instructions on eligibility can be viewed here. Entry procedures can be found here. Details on categories, including submission deadlines, can be found here. Categories will be closed to entries on a staggered basis, which can be found here.

The cost to enter this year's competition remains $30 per submission. Finalists will be announced in March and award winners will be announced at an in-person gala on April 24, 2026 in Toronto. For information on sponsorship opportunities for this premier event in Canadian journalism, contact Amanda Hansen at promotion@nna-ccj.ca.

The awards were established in 1949 to encourage excellence and reward achievement in daily newspaper work in Canada. The competition is now open to newspapers, news agencies and online news sites approved for entry by the NNA Board of Governors.

SOURCE National Newspaper Awards