Origins: Ernie Pyle Award

What became the National Journalism Awards were launched in 1954 with the Ernie Pyle Award (originally supported by the Ernie Pyle Memorial Fund). The award is given annually to reporters who "most nearly exemplify the style and craftsmanship for which Ernie Pyle was known".^[3] The award was administered by the E. W. Scripps Company until the 1962 formation of the Scripps Howard Foundation.^[4] The Ernie Pyle award was later named the "Human Interest Writing Ernie Pyle Award" and is now presented as "Excellence in Narrative Human-Interest Storytelling, Honoring Ernie Pyle."

1960s and '70s

In 1966, Scripps-Howard Newspapers conservation editor Edward J. Meeman died, and the company created the Edward J. Meeman Foundation to support journalism and conservation through grants and awards.^[5] Beginning in 1968, the Edward J. Meeman Environmental Reporting Award became the second annual award given by Scripps-Howard. Previous winners of the environmental reporting award include Ken Ward Jr., Sam Roe, Bruce Ingersoll, James V. Risser, Larry Tye, and Craig Flournoy. In 2022,^[6] the award was renamed as "Excellence in Environmental Reporting, honoring Edward W. 'Ted' Scripps II."^{[lower-alpha 1]}

In the 1970s, three more awards became part of the roster of journalism prizes. First, in 1972, was the Public Service Reporting Award, honoring long-time Scripps executive Roy W. Howard. The public service award was originally divided into a newspaper division and a broadcast division. In 1986, the award was restructured to recognize newspapers only, and divided into two categories — under 100,000 and over 100,000 circulation. In 2004, the circulation divisions were eliminated altogether; the award was discontinued after 2016.

In 1974, the Editorial Writing Walker Stone Award, joined the list. Currently known as the "Walker Stone Award for Opinion Writing," it was named in honor of Walker Stone (1905–1973), editor-in-chief of Scripps-Howard Newspapers.^[8]

In 1977, the First Amendment Edward Willis Scripps Award was inaugurated. "Given to the editor of the winning newspaper for distribution to the individual or individuals on the staff who contributed most significantly to the cause of the First Amendment guarantee of a free press,"^[9] the award is now known as "Distinguished Service to the First Amendment, honoring Edward Willis Scripps."

By the end of the 1970s, the Scripps Howard Foundation was presenting a total of five annual journalism awards.

1980s

In 1980, Scripps Howard added the College Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz Award, which was "funded by United Features Syndicate ... to honor Charles M. Schulz on the 30th anniversary of his comic strip, Peanuts;" Schulz himself served as a judge in the award's early years.^[10] After being presented for 30 years, the award was discontinued in 2011 "due to the lack of entries to merit its continuance."^[11]

In 1985, the Jack R. Howard Broadcast Awards for Public Service Programming began being represented. A broadcasting award, it was divided into radio and television, with each format broken into two sub-categories — large market and small market; so, four new awards. In 1991, the TV division was renamed "TV/Cable" and in 2004, the Broadcast Awards did away with the market categories, reducing the prizes awarded each year to two. After 2008, the public service programming award was restructured/eliminated.

In 1987, the Scripps Howard Foundation, in commemoration of its 25th anniversary, officially dubbed the awards the National Journalism Awards and distributed them at a banquet held in April. The total amount of cash prizes and plaques given out was worth $41,000.^[12] That same year, the Literacy Charles E. Scripps Award, began being presented, given "to any daily broadcast and/or newspaper or local cable system in the U.S. or its territories for most outstanding effort ... to overcome illiteracy in its community."^[13] The separate awards for broadcast and newspaper outlets were abandoned in 1997 (reducing two prizes to one), and the literacy award itself was discontinued after 2003.

1990s

In 1998–1999, Scripps Howard added five new categories to the National Journalism Awards (three of which have since been discontinued).

First, the Commentary award lasted from 1998 to 2014; while the award for Excellence in Photojournalism, also launched in 1998, was renamed in 2017 as "Excellence in Visual Journalism" ("the visual documenting of some of the year’s most complex issues and events").^[14] As of 2022, it is currently awarded as "Visual Human-Interest Storytelling."

In 1999, a new award debuted: the Business/Economics Reporting William Brewster Styles Award, recognizing "the long-time business editor for The Cincinnati Post."^[15] The award is currently called "Excellence in Business/Financial Reporting."

2000–2008

The year 2000 saw two new awards join the list: Editorial Cartooning and Web Reporting;^[16] both of which have since been discontinued. Editorial Cartooning lasted from 2000 to 2011, while Web Reporting lasted from 2000 to 2008.

The period 2004–2008 saw the addition of five new categories of awards (and the retirement of one, the Literacy Award).

In 2004, in partnership with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, two new categories joined the roster: Teacher of the Year and Administrator of the Year. Also joining the list in 2004 was the Investigative Reporting Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize (now given as the "National/International Investigative Reporting, the Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize").^{[lower-alpha 2]}

In 2005, Scripps-Howard took over the administration of the Raymond Clapper Memorial Award, which had previously been given at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Renaming it the Washington Reporting Raymond Clapper Award, the prize was presented through 2011, when it was discontinued.

2009–present

The period 2009–2012 saw the elimination of a number of awards, including those for Public Service Broadcasting (2009), Web Reporting (2009), the Raymond Clapper Award (2012), the two cartooning awards (2011 and 2012, respectively), and Commentary (2014).

In 2010, the National Journalism Awards were renamed the Scripps Howard Awards. In addition, two new prizes joined the roster: Coverage of Breaking News and the Jack R. Howard Award for In-Depth Radio Coverage, later amended to "Excellence in Radio/Podcast Coverage, honoring Jack R. Howard." In 2022, the award was renamed "Excellence in Audio Storytelling, honoring Jack R. Howard".

In the period 2013–2017, eight new prizes joined the Scripps Howard Awards roster. First was the Digital Innovation award, now known as "Innovation, honoring Roy W. Howard." 2016 saw four new awards, including two for video storytelling: the Jack R. Howard Award for Television/Cable In-Depth Local Coverage (currently known as "Local Video Storytelling, honoring Jack. R. Howard") and the Jack R. Howard Award for Television/Cable In-Depth National and International Coverage (currently known as the award for "National/International Video Storytelling, honoring Jack R. Howard"). Also debuting in 2016 (in partnership with the Google News Lab) was the Scripps Howard Award for Community Journalism (now known as the award for "Local/Regional Investigative Reporting"). The final new award to debut in 2016 was the Topic of the Year Award; now known as the "Impact Award", the "winner is deemed to have had the greatest impact from the list."^[17]

The newest award category in the Scripps Howard Awards is Multimedia Journalism, which debuted in 2018.

Excellence in Audio Storytelling, honoring Jack R. Howard

Formerly known as the Jack R. Howard Award for In-Depth Radio Coverage and then Excellence in Radio/Podcast Coverage, honoring Jack R. Howard.

Coverage of Breaking News

Business/Financial Reporting

Formerly known as the Business/Economics Reporting William Brewster Styles Award and the William Brewster Styles Award for Business/Economics Reporting.

Environmental Reporting, honoring Edward W. "Ted" Scripps II

Formerly known as the Environmental Reporting Edward J. Meeman Awards.

Distinguished Service to the First Amendment, honoring Edward Willis Scripps

Formerly known as the First Amendment Edward Willis Scripps Award.

Innovation, honoring Roy W. Howard

Formerly known as Digital Innovation.

Local Video Storytelling, honoring Jack. R. Howard

Formerly known as the Jack R. Howard Award for Television/Cable In-Depth Local Coverage and then (until 2022) Excellence in Broadcast Local Coverage.

Local/Regional Investigative Reporting

In partnership with Google News Lab. From 2015 to 2019, known as the Scripps Howard Award for Community Journalism.

Multimedia Journalism

National/International Video Storytelling, honoring Jack R. Howard

Formerly known as the Jack R. Howard Award for Television/Cable In-Depth National and International Coverage and then (until 2022) Excellence in Broadcast National/International Coverage.

Narrative Human-Interest Storytelling, honoring Ernie Pyle

Formerly known as the Human Interest Writing Ernie Pyle Award and (until 2022) Excellence in Human Interest Storytelling, honoring Ernie Pyle.

National/International Investigative Reporting, the Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize

Formerly known as the Investigative Reporting Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize.

Opinion Writing

Officially known as the Walker Stone Award for Opinion Writing; formerly known as the Editorial Writing Walker Stone Award.

Visual Human-Interest Storytelling

"The visual documenting of some of the year’s most complex issues and events."^[28] From 1997 to 2016 known as the award for Excellence in Photojournalism, and from 2017 to 2022 as Excellence in Visual Journalism.

Impact Award

From 2015 to 2019, known as the Topic of the Year Award.

Teacher of the Year

Officially known as the Charles E. Scripps Journalism and Mass Communication Teacher of the Year Award; formerly known as the Journalism Teacher of the Year Charles E. Scripps Award. Awarded in partnership with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Administrator of the Year

Officially known as the Charles E. Scripps Journalism and Mass Communication Administrator of the Year Award; formerly known as the Journalism Administrator of the Year Charles E. Scripps Award. Awarded in partnership with the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

College Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz Award

In 1997 the Award included a $2,000 prize.^[29] In the 2000s, the prize was $10,000.^[30]

Commentary

Editorial Cartooning

Discontinued after 2011.

Jack R. Howard Broadcast Awards for Public Service Programming — Radio

Restructured in 2009.

Jack R. Howard Broadcast Awards for Public Service Programming — Television

Became known as Electronic Media — Television/Cable in 1991. Restructured in 2009.

Literacy Charles E. Scripps Awards

Originally separated into Broadcast and Newspaper divisions.

Reorganized in 1997 to honor an individual and an organization (not necessarily related).

Public Service Reporting Roy W. Howard Award

Originally divided into a newspaper division and a broadcast division.

Restructured to recognize newspapers only, and divided into two categories — under 100,000 and over 100,000 circulation.

Circulation divisions eliminated; award discontinued after 2016.

Washington Reporting Raymond Clapper Award

Reporter and Scripps Howard columnist Raymond Clapper died in 1944 during World War II while covering the U.S. invasion of the Marshall Islands. Following his death, the Raymond Clapper Memorial Association was incorporated on March 10, 1944, in Washington, D.C. "to perpetuate the memory of Clapper"^[36] through the Raymond Clapper Memorial Award,^[37] which was presented annually "to a journalist or team for distinguished Washington reporting."^[38] The White House Correspondents' Association, and sometimes the American Society of Newspaper Editors, distributed the Raymond Clapper Award from 1944 to 2003, at which point it passed to the National Journalism Awards.^[38] Under Scripps Howard, the Washington Reporting Raymond Clapper Award was presented from 2004 to 2011, at which point it was discontinued.

Web Reporting

Discontinued after 2008.