Mike Berger Award

The Mike Berger Award honors in-depth and enterprising reporting on individuals in the tradition of the late Meyer "Mike" Berger. In 1950, Berger won a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting in The New York Times for his evocative 4,000-word story on the impact of a mass murderer's actions on the residents of Camden, N.J. For several years prior to his death in 1959, Berger's "About New York" column in the Times set the standard for thought-provoking human-interest reporting about the lives of everyday people.

Newspaper, magazine and now online reporters across the country are eligible for this award. Journalists who report in a foreign language should submit copies of original stories with an English translation.

Entries will be judged by members of the faculty of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The award, which consists of a certificate from Columbia and a $1,500 cash prize, will be conferred at the Journalism School graduation ceremony in May. No entry fee is required, and the school will reimburse the winner's expenses for traveling to New York.

Nominations

Each entry must consist of TWO copies of each of the following:

• A brief letter from the editor indicating the scope of the reporter's work
• A brief biography of the reporter
• Up to five articles published in 2009 that best typify the reporter's work. The published stories can be part of a series. Entries should be printed or mounted on 11" x 17" paper in its original layout when possible. Online content should be submitted on a CD or printed out in a format that can be easily read and duplicated.

If you know a journalist who deserves to be recognized, please send us the completed Nomination Form (PDF) and pertinent material.

Nominations must be signed by the person submitting it, along with that person's title, address, telephone, fax and e-mail address. Please avoid elaborate portfolios. Supporting material will not be returned.

Submissions must be postmarked no later than March 8, 2010.