The Portland chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association is seeking entries for the 2025 AAJA Portland Diversity and Inclusion Awards.

The awards will recognize the best journalism published during 2024 about issues that, through discrimination or structural inequity, disproportionately affect people of color or other under-resourced groups in Oregon and/or southwest Washington. AAJA Portland is particularly interested in work that focuses on antiracism and social justice.

Each award comes with a cash prize of $250. Winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony in May.

Deadline to enter:  5 p.m. Sunday, April 13, 2025

Cost to enter: Free, thanks to support from the Inatai Foundation.

Contest guidelines

Who’s eligible: Journalists who have covered issues in Oregon and/or Washington’s Clark County, including student journalists, except 2025 AAJA Portland board members. 

What’s eligible: Work published by an Oregon or southwest Washington news organization between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2024. This includes work by students, freelancers and interns. All media and formats are accepted but will be judged based on category.

Award categories 

Judges will select one winner and one student winner* in each category. Judges may choose not to make an award.

Arts, Food and Culture: This award recognizes journalism in arts, food, cultural and entertainment journalism, including but not limited to features, investigations, profiles and reviews.

Politics: This award recognizes journalism around elections, campaigns, candidates and government, with a focus on depth and impact.

Business and Economics: This award recognizes journalism around business and economic topics and issues, with a focus on depth and impact.

Environment, Health and Science: This award recognizes journalism around scientific, environmental, and health topics and issues.

Education: This award recognizes journalism around early childhood learning, K-12 education and college education, including but not limited to investigations, features and profiles.

Sports: This award recognizes journalism in sports, including but not limited to game coverage or analysis, profiles, features and investigations

AAPI:  This award recognizes journalism that illuminates and centers on the complexity and humanity of Asian American, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian communities and experiences.

*All creators with a byline or listed as a contributor must have been students at the time the work was created. Work from internships in professional newsrooms is acceptable as long as the creator was a student or created the work during an internship that began within three months of graduating.

Submissions

Submissions are now closed.

Questions: aaja.pdx@gmail.com