Nominations open for 2022 Watchdog Awards; Submit by March 14

Nominations for the Chicago Headline Club’s Watchdog Award, which honors enterprising journalism that defends and protects everyday folks, are now open!

Past winners of the award and cash prize exposed decades of sexual abuse complaints by lifeguards in Chicago, identified a pattern of misuse of seclusion in Illinois public schools, and used data to uncover how property tax systems disproportionately benefitted wealthy homeowners.

Learn more about the Watchdog Awards on our website.

We’re now accepting nominations for works published between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. To submit: fill out this nomination form and submit it by email. Nominations must be sent by the final deadline of March 14, 2023.

All entries will be reviewed by a panel of investigative journalists and editors from across the country. Judges select a slate of finalists which are announced in early April. The final award will be presented at the Lisagor Awards banquet on May 12, 2023.

Issues? Questions? Email Watchdog Awards Chair Carlos Ballesteros.