The Houston Community Media Awards recognize excellence in journalism that informs, empowers, and reflects the diverse communities of Greater Houston. The awards celebrate reporting that elevates underrepresented voices, strengthens civic engagement, and highlights the issues that matter most to our communities.
Awards will be presented in the following categories:
1. Best Election Coverage
Recognizes outstanding reporting on elections, voting rights, civic participation, public policy, and democratic engagement. Entries may include coverage of local, state, national, or international elections, candidate profiles, ballot initiatives, voter education, and election analysis. Judges will evaluate accuracy, fairness, originality, and community impact.
2. Best Immigration Coverage
Honors exceptional journalism covering immigration, immigrant communities, refugee experiences, border issues, citizenship, legal rights, workforce challenges, and policies affecting immigrant populations. Entries should demonstrate thoughtful reporting that informs and gives voice to diverse perspectives.
3. Best Youth & Education Coverage
Recognizes outstanding reporting on education and issues affecting children, youth, and young adults. Topics may include K–12 and higher education, career pathways, mental health, student achievement, family engagement, and youth leadership. Judges will consider originality, reporting quality, and relevance to the community.
4. Best Arts, Culture & Sports Coverage
Celebrates journalism that showcases the rich cultural life of our communities through coverage of the arts, music, literature, film, food, heritage, traditions, sports, and community events. Entries should highlight stories that preserve culture, celebrate achievement, and foster community pride.
5. Best Environment Coverage
Honors excellence in reporting on environmental issues, climate change, conservation, sustainability, natural disasters, public lands, environmental justice, energy, and the impact of environmental issues on local communities. Judges will consider depth of reporting, clarity, and public service value.
6. Best Health & Health Care Coverage
Recognizes outstanding reporting that informs communities about health, wellness, public health, medical research, health care access, mental health, health equity, and disease prevention. Entries should provide accurate, accessible, and impactful information that benefits the public.
7. Best Coverage of the Economy and Small Business
Honors journalism that explores economic issues affecting individuals, families, entrepreneurs, workers, and local businesses. Topics may include workforce development, housing affordability, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, inflation, employment, and economic opportunity. Judges will consider relevance, originality, and community impact.
8. Best Community Advocacy
Recognizes journalism that elevates community voices, highlights inequities, promotes civic engagement, and advocates for positive change. Eligible entries may include editorials, opinion pieces, investigative reporting, or community-focused storytelling that raises awareness of issues affecting underserved populations. Judges will evaluate impact, originality, and journalistic excellence.
9. Best Website
Recognizes excellence in a community media organization’s website, including content quality, user experience, accessibility, design, navigation, multimedia integration, and overall service to its audience. Judges will consider how effectively the website informs, engages, and serves its community.
10. Influencer of the Year
Honors an individual who has effectively used digital platforms and social media to inform, educate, inspire, or engage their community. Nominees may include journalists, content creators, podcasters, or community leaders whose work demonstrates credibility, creativity, and meaningful public impact.
Judge’s Selections
This special recognition is awarded at the discretion of the judging panel to entries that demonstrate exceptional journalistic excellence, innovation, creativity, community impact, career achievement. These awards are not limited to a specific category and may recognize outstanding work that deserves special distinction.
How to Submit Entries
All entries must be submitted by TK, to the Houston Community Media (HCoM) Link: TK
An entry must indicate the category in which it is submitted, the name of the reporter/content producer and a headshot, the name of the outlet/platform and date on which the entry was published. Freelance journalists who have applied independently should note the outlet where the entry was published, aired or posted and the date on which the entry appeared..
No more than one entry per category per news outlet or independent journalist is permitted. No more than nine entries – one for each category –are allowed per ethnic news outlet or individual news reporter. If the entry involves a series of articles, the maximum number of articles per series is three.
Two or more ethnic media outlets that partnered on a specific reporting project should submit entries under the name of lead outlets, with all media that participated listed on the application form.
Audio or Video entries need to be submitted as URLs.
Print and online entries need to be submitted as URLs or PDFs.
In-language print and online submissions require an English language translation along with the in-language entry. If the entry is a video or audio submission, there must be an English-language summary (300 words max) of what it is about and/or English language subtitles.
The Judging Process
Judges will determine the originality of the topics covered, the diligence and credibility of the reporting, the uniqueness of the information provided, the use of multimedia storytelling formats (i.e. video or audio excerpts, photography, data visualization, interactive graphics, creative use of social media), and the impact of the story on the community served.
Judges will include people with linguistic and/or cultural fluency, knowledge of the community/ethnic news media sector, and/or expertise in fields ethnic media cover, such as politics, health care, the economy, education, the environment, social justice issues, sports-food-entertainment. Each judge will be asked to review submissions in a specific category and to select three finalists per category which will then be reviewed by an America Community Media(ACoM) – Houston Community Media(HCoM) advisory board to determine the first and second place winners.
Costs
There are no submission fees. The winner will receive a cash prize of $500 plus an entry ticket to the Expo & Awards. Second place winners will receive $250 and an entry ticket to the Expo & Awards. Finalists each receive a certificate and will be announced during the Awards ceremony and will be featured along with the Award winners on a special landing page of the HCoM website.
