The Private Eye Paul Foot Award 2025 for Investigative and Campaigning Journalism is now open for entries. The award honours the UK’s most brilliant, talented and determined journalists working in the fields of investigative and campaigning journalism today, and was set up in memory of revered journalist Paul Foot, who died in 2004.
Following an increase to the prize pool in 2024, the winner of the Private Eye Paul Foot Award 2025 will receive £8,000, while runners up will receive £1,500 per entry.
The 2024 award was won by Tristan Kirk, Evening Standard, for his entry Single Justice Procedure: Conveyer Belt Justice. Kirk’s winning investigation illustrated how the “single justice procedure” makes justice impossible for people without the means or wherewithal to challenge the system, creating a conveyor belt system that has removed humanity and fairness from the law.
SUBMISSIONS PROCEDURES FOR 2025
As last year, all submissions must be made online to awards@private-eye.co.uk. Postal submissions will not be accepted. The entry form and covering letter must be attached to the submission email and can be downloaded here.
Submissions will be accepted for material published in a newspaper, magazine or website between 1st April 2024 and 4th March 2025. The deadline for entries is 4h March 2025, 1.00pm. No broadcast material is eligible. Individual journalists, teams of journalists or entire publications may enter and entries will be considered for anything from a single piece to entire campaigns. Applications are welcomed from UK media and international outlets based in the UK whose submissions focus on UK-based or UK-relevant investigations. Submissions from regional, local, specialist, trade, business-to-business and independent news outlets are also encouraged.
The team of judges, chaired by journalist and editor Padraig Reidy, will be announced shortly.
Padraig Reidy, Chair of Judges, The Private Eye Paul Foot Award, said: “The Paul Foot Award is a unique celebration of the best reporting, whether it appears in niche newsletters or national papers. We’re looking forward to reading about journalism that shines a spotlight on injustice and wrongdoing, and helps change people’s lives for the better.”
KEY DATES
- Tuesday 4th March 1.00pm: Deadline for entries. Applications must be submitted ONLINE ONLY. NO ENTRIES BY POST WILL BE ACCEPTED. Early applications are encouraged. Please see entry criteria below.
- April 2024: Details of the short-listed entries will be published at private-eye.co.uk
- Tuesday 20th May: The winning entry for 2025 will be revealed at an awards announcement event hosted by Ian Hislop in central London.
About Paul Foot
Paul Foot, an investigative journalist, editor and left-wing campaigner, worked variously for the Daily Record, the Daily Mirror, The Guardian and Private Eye. He was involved in many high-profile campaigns throughout his illustrious career, including the Birmingham Six, the Bridgewater Four and the John Poulson scandal. His accolades include the Journalist of the Year, the Campaigning Journalist of the Year, the George Orwell Prize for Journalism and in 2000 he was honoured as the Campaigning Journalist of the Decade. Paul Foot died in 2004 at the age of 66.
For further information, please email Anna.Zanetti@midas-group.com
