The AJO Awards recognize excellence in reporting, writing and news production across genres. As the media landscape evolves, we want to celebrate great journalism no matter what form it takes — whether a long-form narrative published on a website, a podcast, a newsletter, a Twitter thread, or a TikTok video.

Our goal is to shine light on journalists and publications that live outside the mainstream and don’t fit into the categories honored by many long-standing media awards.

The Courage in Journalism Awards show people that women journalists are not going to step aside, cannot be silenced, and deserve to be recognized for their strength in the face of adversity. It honors the brave journalists who report on taboo topics, work in environments hostile to women, and share difficult truths.

The American Mosaic Journalism Prize consists of an unrestricted cash prize of $100,000 per recipient—making it one of the largest dollar amounts given for a journalism prize in the United States— and is awarded to freelance journalists for excellence in long-form, narrative, or deep reporting about underrepresented and/or misrepresented groups in the American landscape.

The prize is a complete surprise to its recipients. It is based on confidential nominations invited from more than 150 leaders in journalism throughout the country. A panel of 10 judges—including journalists from NBC News, The New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, among others—selected this year’s recipients.