Collier Prize for State Government Accountability

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.

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.

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.