After a yearlong hiatus, we’re bringing back our well-received Sarah Brown Boyden Awards and officially accepting submissions!
We’re seeking the absolute best story from print, broadcast and online journalists. Enter your best stories and win $500 from the prestigious Chicago Journalists Association’s annual Sarah Brown Boyden competition.
CONTEST RULES
All newspapers, magazines, other periodicals, radio and television stations and online journalists in the 10-county Chicago area and Northern Indiana are eligible to enter the contest, which covers the period from July 2018 to July 2019.
Nominations should include a cover letter summarizing the content of the entry, difficulty encountered in getting the story, and results, if any. Please indicate the category you are submitting, along with contact information.
More than one entry will be permitted for each category. Please send all print, radio and TV submissions and questions to awards@chicagocja.wpcomstaging.com. You do not need to belong to the CJA to enter.

Deadline for entries is October 15, 2019.
Contestants may compete in the following categories:
- Arts
- Best Series
- Blog
- Breaking News
- Business
- Commentary
- Editorials
- Editorial Cartoons
- Education
- Features
- Health/Science
- Investigations
- News or Sports Photography
- Politics
- Public Service
- Sports
- Technology
- Transportation
Sarah Brown Boyden joined the Chicago Evening American after attending Northwestern University in the 1920s and later worked at the Chicago Daily News and Chicago Sun. She died in 1989 at age 86. Her family established this fund in her honor. We added the Daniel N. Moulton Award for the best sports story in his memory. Dan covered the hockey beat for Chicago Today and the Chicago Evening American before joining the Chicago Tribune as sports copy editor and once served as treasurer of our organization. He passed away in 2005 at age 75.
Winners will be honored at CJA’s 80th Anniversary Awards Dinner, Friday, November 1, 2019. Details to be announced.
To make your payment, click on the “Donations” tab near the top of our homepage page. Select “Sarah Brown Boyden Award” from the dropdown menu and click on the “Donate” button in the upper left corner of your screen. You will then be redirected to PayPal’s website to complete your order. The fee for each entry is $75.
Please also read about our annual Dorothy Storck Award and how to apply.