It’s that time of year again! CCNow is thrilled to invite journalists everywhere to submit work for the 2026 Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards.
This is the sixth year of our annual awards program, and, at a time when too many leaders around the world are retreating from the climate issue, the opportunity to spotlight and celebrate excellent climate storytelling is more essential than ever.
Each year, the team at CCNow and members of our world-class judges cohort — comprised of reporters and editors from across the globe, many of whom are past CCNow Journalism Award winners themselves — are amazed by the quality and variety of work entrants send our way. In 2025, we received more than 1,200 entries; winners came from outlets big and small, and together their work showcased the passion, rigor, and creativity that are hallmarks of the climate journalism profession.
Work published or broadcast anytime in 2025 is eligible. There is no fee to enter. Entries will be accepted through Monday, March 31, at 11:59pm US Eastern Time. (That’s 03:59h UTC, on April 1.)
Entry submissions will cover 14 subject-based categories — for example: solutions, justice, and health. We plan to honor multiple winners in each category, reflecting a range of styles, story lengths, outlet sizes, and geographic regions, to showcase the many ways journalists across the world explored similar subjects. In addition to the subject-based categories, we’ll honor work in a “Large projects & collaborations” category; our “Emerging Journalists of the Year” category will recognize early-career journalists whose work shows exceptional promise; and we’re accepting public entries for our “Journalists of the Year” award, given to three journalists who demonstrate exemplary commitment to the climate story and whose work has had a transformative impact on our profession.
Please help us spread the word, by sharing this opportunity with your newsrooms and professional networks. Learn more about what we’re looking for and enter your work today!
From Us
LAST CHANCE: CCNow Academy. Join our free three-month training program, comprising 12 live, interactive sessions from March to June. As part of a cohort of 40 journalists from around the world, you’ll learn about climate science, solutions journalism, how to spot disinformation, and much more. Apply by next Monday, February 16.
CCNow Basics: Covering Climate Across Beats. Though climate change intersects with every beat — from sports to health, from crime to agriculture — the connection is often unreported. Join us next Thursday, February 19 for a free training, part of our CCNow Basics series, on how to identify and report climate stories, regardless of your beat. We’re hosting two sessions, to accommodate different schedules worldwide: 6am US Eastern Time (11h UTC) and 1pm US Eastern Time (18h UTC).
WATCH: Americans Care About Climate Change More Than You Think. This week, CCNow hosted a recent Press Briefing about the latest ‘American Minds’ survey results, published by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University. Watch a recording.
WATCH: Climate Change’s Olympic Impacts. From CCNow’s and Climate Central’s recent Press Briefing, learn how to make the climate change connection for audiences of your 2026 Winter Olympics coverage. Watch a recording.
Locally Sourced newsletter. The latest edition of our biweekly newsletter for local journalists explores disappearing snowpacks, including impacts on local ecosystems, sample stories to emulate, and expert tips from Daniel Swain, a weather and climate scientist at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Check out the Locally Sourced archive and sign up to get the newsletter every other Tuesday.
Noteworthy Stories
Unlinking GDP and carbon. Since 1990, Romania has “decoupled” its economic growth from fossil fuel emissions faster than any other European country. Each dollar of economic activity in the country is now 10 times less carbon intensive than 35 years ago, and in the same period Romania has slashed emissions by 75%. By Ajit Niranjan for The Guardian…
Youth climate activists. After historic and deadly flooding in Pakistan last year, a growing movement of young people in the country is raising awareness about climate change. Pakistan is among the world’s 10 most climate vulnerable countries, yet the term “climate change” is relatively unknown or misunderstood there. By Zara Shamim, Faras Ghani, Marium Ali & Fatima Shafiq for Al Jazeera…
Declining emissions. China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been either “flat or falling” since March 2024, with the fourth quarter of 2025 seeing a 1% overall reduction. Despite the positive trend, to meet one of its Paris Agreement commitments, China would still need to cut its carbon intensity (fossil fuels emitted per unit of economic activity) by 23%. By Lauri Myllyvirta for Carbon Brief…
EVs on the rise. Last year, only three of every 10 cars sold in Spain were gas or diesel-powered, while EV sales rose 77% and plug-in hybrid sales rose 111%, according to the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers. About 20% of the cars in Spain are now partially or fully electric, compared to the EU average of 26%. By Andrés Actis for Climática…
Quote of the Week
“All the good journalism in the world won’t make a dent in the climate crisis on its own. But healthier information ecosystems are a necessary precondition for durable political and economic change.”
– Sammy Roth, writing in Climate-Colored Goggles about The Washington Post laying off 30% of its newsroom staff, including most of its climate desk
Resources & Events
Webinar: Monthly Climate Brief. Climate Central will host its monthly overview of the latest global climate trends and statistics on February 17, at 12pm US Eastern TIme. Learn more and RSVP.
Resource: Shorter winters. Climate Central has published a new guide, “Shorter Winters in 195 U.S. Cities,” complete with downloadable local data and some topline analysis, including what warmer winters mean for local water supplies and crops.
Webinar: Extreme weather. The University of Rhode Island’s Metcalf Institute and the Solutions Journalism Network are hosting a one-hour webinar, “Causes and Responses to Extreme Winter Weather,” on February 18, at 1pm US Eastern Time. Learn more and RSVP.
Jobs, Etc.
Jobs. Report for America is hiring 70 reporters in newsrooms across the US. Politico is hiring a California Energy, Environment and Climate Editor (Sacramento, Calif.). The Banner is hiring for a number of positions, including Deputy Editor, Sports Reporter, and Express Reporter (Baltimore, Md.). Bloomberg is hiring a US Agriculture Reporter (New York, N.Y.). The New York Times is hiring an Assistant Editor for Climate.
Fellowships. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is accepting applications for its one-year journalist fellowship program; apply by TOMORROW, February 13. The World Press Institute is accepting applications for its fellowship program; apply by February 15. Wake Forest University is recruiting for its 2026 Environmental and Epistemic Justice Journalism Fellowship in London, England; apply by February 15. The University of Colorado at Boulder is accepting applications for its Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism; apply by March 1. The Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University is accepting applications for its Energy Journalism Fellows program; apply by March 2.
Grant. The Pulitzer Center is launching a special call for applications for its Environmental Reporting Focusing on Transparency and Governance grant; apply by February 28.
Workshop. The Metcalf Institute is accepting applications for its annual workshop; apply by February 16.