$20,000 True Story Journalism Award
- Organization: True Story Foundation
- Type: Award
- Location: Global
- Deadline: October 31, 2026
- Funding: Fully Funded
The True Story Award is a global prize for written journalism, run by the Swiss nonprofit True Story Foundation since 2019. Journalists anywhere can enter one long-form report published between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026, in one of nine languages or in English translation. A jury picks 36 nominees, who are invited to present their work at the True Story Festival in Bern, and three winners each receive USD 20,000. **What you get:** - USD 20,000 for each of the three winners, one each in Research, Storytelling and Impact - An invitation for all 36 nominated authors to the award ceremony and the True Story Festival in Bern, Switzerland, to present their work - Publication of nominated texts on the True Story website in the original language and in English, and in German with partner media **What you'll do:** - Submit one published report online, yourself or through your editorial team - If nominated, travel to Bern in June 2027 and present your reporting to festival audiences **Key dates:** - Eligible reports published between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026 - Entries close Saturday 31 October 2026 at 12:00 noon UTC - Award ceremony Friday 4 June 2027 at Kursaal Bern, opening the True Story Festival (4 to 6 June 2027) **More information:** - Categories, conditions and the jury list are on the award page - Entries are accepted in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish; other languages enter in English translation through the Europe, World I (Africa and the Middle East) or World II (Asia) categories - English-language entries in the English category are for texts published in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand; other English texts go to a regional category
