Skip to Main Content
Explore News

Call for entries: James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism

As the threat to our freedom increases daily, we, Medill at Northwestern University, wish to recognize the continual courage displayed by our greater journalism community through the James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism.

The Medill Medal is awarded to the individual or team of journalists working for a U.S. based media outlet who best displays moral, ethical or physical courage in the pursuit of a story or series of stories. Stories must have been published in 2014 to qualify. This is an invitation to apply for or nominate a peer, colleague or friend for the 2015 James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism, which awards a prize of $5,000.

In 2014, the name of the award was changed to honor Medill alumnus James Foley (MSJ08), who was murdered by ISIS militants in Syria nearly six months ago. Medill Dean Bradley Hamm said Foley’s tireless work, “endures for us as a beacon reminding us of the risks implicit in shedding light where inhumanity can take hold.”

This past year, Medill honored Matthieu Aikins for his 2013 Rolling Stone piece, “The A-Team Killings,” addressing alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. Other winners include reporters and teams from The New York Times, Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, NBC News and The Washington Post, among others.

With a goal of awareness on other journalists around the globe, The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation (@JamesFoleyFund) focuses on giving honor to Foley for what he stood for. In an effort to share communications about this opportunity, and support the Foundation’s initiatives, we will be sharing stories of our applicants using the hashtags #shareyourstory and #pressfreedom. We encourage you or those you nominate to do the same.

We invite you to learn more on the James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism website and to reach out with any questions. Application materials should be postmarked by Monday, March 30, 2015.

For more details, or to submit your entry, visit our award page.