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Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award

Deadline for entries: August 13, midnight ET

(If you're looking for the Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writing, it can be found here.)

The Sigma Delta Chi Foundation presents the Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award to honor a person or persons who have fought to protect and preserve one or more of the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Mr. Pulliam, who died in January 1999, was publisher of The Indianapolis Star and The Indianapolis News until his death and was well-known for consistently supporting activities which educated the public about First Amendment rights and values. The Foundation has established this annual award to honor those committed to the same goals and as a tribute to the professional contributions that he made to journalism.

About the Award

Annually at the Society of Professional Journalists National Convention, the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation will honor an individual, group of individuals or organization with a $10,000 cash award and an engraved crystal. The honoree(s) also will receive transportation (airfare and two-night hotel stay) to the national convention. (Additional travel costs are the responsibility of the award recipient).

Eligibility

Nominations are open to any person, persons or organization in the U.S. or its territories who have worked to protect the basic rights provided by the First Amendment. Honorees do not have to be journalists. In fact, the Foundation encourages recognition of those outside the journalism profession for their First Amendment efforts and initiatives, such as, but not limited to, public officials, members of the legal profession, scholars, educators, librarians, students and ordinary citizens.

Work must have been completed within the 2021 calendar year.

Nominations

Nominations for the annual award may be made by anyone, inside or outside of the journalism profession.

Nominations should include:

— Completed entry form
— Three signed letters of nomination or one letter endorsed by three individuals or organizations.
— Nomination letter should detail the specific efforts taken on behalf of the protection of First Amendment rights; obstacles and difficulties encountered; and impact made as a result of those efforts how they have contributed to the protection of the First Amendment.
— Supporting materials may consist of published or broadcast materials, documentation of service or lifetime achievement or any appropriate materials.
— Entries become the property of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. They may be republished for general distribution or used to publicize the award.
— There is NO entry fee.

Submission Instructions

Nominations should be submitted as PDF documents. If you have Word documents to submit, save them as PDFs before uploading them using the nomination form.

Please include the following:

— Entry Form
— Nomination Letter(s)
— Supporting Materials

For More Information

For more information contact SPJ Headquarters at 317/927-8000 or by e-mail: awards@spj.org. If selected, applicant should consult with their financial and/or tax adviser. Any tax implications associated with the award are the responsibility of the award recipient.

The Eugene S. Pulliam First Amendment Award is a program of the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation. More about Mr. Pulliam’s distinguished career can be found in The Indianapolis Star’s online library.