The largest journalism prize in North America, honoring outstanding reporting on the environment by journalists in the U.S. and Canada, was announced in September by the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting (publisher of Environment Writer). The Grantham Prize for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment will provide a $75,000 cash award each year to one journalist or a team of journalists in recognition of exemplary reporting on the environment.

The Grantham Prize will be administered by the Metcalf Institute. Funding for the prize is provided by The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment. The deadline for entries is March 24, 2006, with the winning journalist or reporting team announced in July 2006.

"We are living in a world that tragically underestimates environmental problems. Independent and accurate journalism offers great hope in this regard. We believe that this prize will highlight the need for insightful coverage and the awareness such reporting can bring about," said Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham, founders of The Grantham Foundation. "The public deserves ready access to the kind of information and news that only outstanding independent journalism can provide. This is one way to give that kind of reporting the honor, respect, and visibility it needs."

The $75,000 prize will be awarded annually to an individual journalist or team of journalists in print, broadcast, or books, whose work exemplifies extraordinary coverage of environmental issues and helps lead to constructive social change to address them.

"The Grantham Prize will call attention to extraordinary reporting on important and complex issues of the environment," said Jackleen de La Harpe, Executive Director, Metcalf Institute. "We are committed to see this Prize take its place among journalism's most honored award competitions."

The first call for entries for award candidates will be made in the fall of 2005, with an independent jury of respected journalists making the final decision on an award winner.

The first member of the five-person Prize Judging Panel to be named is Robert B. Semple, Jr., Associate Editor of the Editorial Pages, The New York Times. Semple won a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for his editorial writing on environmental issues. Four additional prize judges will be named shortly.

Award criteria and other information on The Grantham Prize are available online at www.granthamprize.org.