The $25,000 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability at the University of Florida is one of the largest journalism prizes in the nation. It is designed to encourage coverage of state-level government in every state, focusing on investigative and political reporting. The prize, announced annually at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner,  recognizes the best U. S. professional reporting on state government accountability in any medium or on any platform and is available to any news organization.

Collier Prize Entries are Open

Our entry portal for the 2026 Collier Prize is open and the submission deadline is Jan. 31, 2026

2025 Winners

The Associated Press for its series, “Prison to Plate: Profiting off America’s Captive Workforce.” 

NBC News and Noticias Telemundo won second prize for “Dealing the Dead,” a year-long investigation into the body brokering industry in multiple states.

The Illinois Answers Project won third place for Strapped Down: “Restraint Chairs in Illinois’ Jails,” a project that exposed the overuse, misuse and abuse of restraint chairs in county jails across Illinois.

Announcing the Collier Spotlight

The Collier Prize for State Government Accountability is initiating a new award, the Collier Spotlight. It’s a quarterly certificate that recognizes impactful reporting on state institutions. 

Collier Prize Symposium

Knight Foundation President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth headlined our Nov. 13, 2025 Symposium. You can watch the sessions on demand.

State of Accountability Journalism Report

A survey of investigative journalists who routinely report on government accountability showed that limited access to records or sources has emerged as the greatest challenge in holding government officials accountable. Most reported frequent delays, denials, or excessive costs when filing public records requests, and nearly half described difficulty securing interviews or official comment.