Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights today announced it has opened its 2024 RFK Book and Journalism Awards for submissions. Entries must have been published, aired, or broadcast in 2023 to be eligible for consideration. The deadline for book entries is January 5, 2024 and the deadline for all journalism categories is January 12, 2024.
The annual competition highlights outstanding student and professional work across book, print, broadcast, photo, and nontraditional media categories that focuses on issues such as human rights, social justice, and the power of individual action.
Last year's winners included historian Peniel Joseph's book "The Third Reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century," which offers a powerful interpretation of recent history; the Washington Post's podcast "Broken Doors," which examines one of the most aggressive and intrusive policing tactics – no-knock raids; and Prosper High School's piece describing how one Texas high school became embroiled in the culture wars book debate.
The contest includes a separate category for work on mass incarceration and its effects on American society. This category will honor exemplary reporting on the criminal or immigration legal systems, examining how incarceration and criminalization affect both those imprisoned and those outside prison walls. The focus of winning entries might reflect issues such as human rights abuses in criminal or immigration enforcement, collateral consequences of criminalization that extend to housing, employment, and education, or non-punitive solutions to complex social issues.
Winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony held on May 21, 2024 featuring leading journalists, authors, and activists. Winners receive a bust of Robert Kennedy along with a cash prize: $2,500 for the Book Award winner, $1,000 for each of the professional journalism award categories, and $500 for student award winners.
Visit RFKHumanRights.org for more information on the awards and past honorees.
About Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
We are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that has worked to realize Robert F. Kennedy's dream of a more just and peaceful world since 1968. In partnership with local activists, we advocate for key human rights issues—championing change makers and pursuing strategic litigation at home and around the world. And to ensure change that lasts, we foster a social-good approach to business and investment and educate millions of students about human rights and social justice.