Investigations that exposed major abuses and wrongdoing by law enforcement agencies and the failure of government to protect society’s most vulnerable members are among the work honored in the 2011 Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards.

Covering 15 categories across several media platforms and a range of market sizes, the IRE Awards recognize the most outstanding watchdog journalism of the year. The contest, which began in 1979, received over 430 entries this year. 

“Despite devastating cutbacks across the news business, investigative reporting is alive and well, and really making a difference in our society,” said Lea Thompson, contest committee co-chairwoman ...

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Don't forget to submit your best investigative reporting to the 2011 IRE Awards contest. The postmark deadline is January 13th, 2012.

2011 marked the 33rd year for the IRE Awards, which honor the best in investigative reporting in all types of media. This year, to better reflect the evolving nature of the industry, and the challenges inherent in the categories as they existed, we have restructured the categories for our awards.

For more information on how we've changed or for details on how to enter, click here.

This is a season of evolution at IRE

We have rebuilt our IRE Awards categories to better reflect the ways in which news is gathered and presented. And we have launched a new website that is easier to navigate, makes it easier for you to take advantage of our resources and gives you more control over your membership. 

Why did we revamp the IRE Awards? Simple: our industry is changing and we needed to change with it. Periodically over the past three decades, the awards categories have been altered and the entry guidelines revised, as circulation and viewership trends changed ...

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Investigations that found financial mismanagement and fraud in business and industry, cover-ups of lethal products, and failure of government to protect the public are among the works honored in the 2010 Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards.

This year, there were two recipients of the top prize: the IRE Medal. The Los Angeles Times uncovered a story of incredible greed in one of California’s poorest towns, Bell, in “Breach of Faith.” The Times revealed how residents’ tax money was going toward outlandish salaries for some city employees, while others were getting laid off and services were being cut. The series ...

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Please do not miss the opportunity to enter your best work in the 2010 IRE Awards. The postmark deadline is Friday, January 14, 2011. The entry form can be found online. Eligible work must have been published or aired between January 1 and December 31, 2010. Please note we have added two new categories in the IRE Awards this year:

• Partnership or Collaboration: Recognizing excellence in investigative reporting projects completed as a partnership or collaboration among various media entities.
• Gannett Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism: Recognizing the use of digital innovation in the gathering and/or delivery of watchdog ...

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It’s that time of year again – time to consider entering your best work into the IRE Awards. Among the most prestigious in journalism, the IRE Awards recognize outstanding investigative reporting across all media. Eligible entries must have been published or aired between January 1 and December 31, 2010. The postmark deadline for submissions is January 14, 2011. We are pleased to announce two new categories in the IRE Awards this year:

• Partnership or Collaboration: Recognizing excellence in investigative reporting projects completed as a partnership or collaboration among various media entities.
• Gannett Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism: Recognizing the ...

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Investigations that exposed failures of government regulation, abuse of military personnel and failures of the criminal justice system are among the work honored in the 2009 Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards. This year there were two recipients of the top prize, the IRE Medal.  The New York Times’ Charles Duhigg and a team of database experts and multimedia specialists exposed failings in the government’s efforts to protect the nation’s water supply in the series "Toxic Waters." Mark Greenblatt, David Raziq, Keith Tomshe, Chris Henao, Robyn Hughes and Keith Connors of KHOU-Houston also received the IRE Medal for “Under ... Read more ...

The deadline for submitting entries for the IRE Awards is this Friday, January 15. All entries must be postmarked by midnight on Friday. As you review work from 2009, don’t forget that we have added a new category to the contest that honors breaking news investigations. It is open to all journalists, regardless of media platform. And as always, individual categories will honor work done in print, broadcast and online, with a special category honoring student work. For more details on this category, and all the information you need about the contest, go to http://www.ire.org/resourcecenter ... Read more ...

Great investigative work is often done in the days, or even hours, following a breaking news event. The IRE Awards have often honored such work, and now we are pleased to introduce a new category dedicated to such efforts. The Breaking News Investigations category spotlights outstanding investigative work done following a news event or development, across all media platforms. "We think this will help recognize the investigative work involved in covering breaking news," said Cheryl Phillips, chair of the IRE contest committee. "Very often, investigative reporting skills are key to producing important journalism on deadline and in the hours and ... Read more ...

Investigations that exposed local government corruption from New Orleans to Detroit, human-rights abuses by the federal government and international organized crime are among the work honored in the 2008 Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards. This year’s top prize, the IRE Medal, was given to WWL-New Orleans for its dogged rolling investigation of a city-run housing nonprofit that falsely claimed to have fixed homes in desperate need of repair after Hurricane Katrina and the contractors who pocketed the money without doing the work. Through compelling storytelling, the station tackled a serious issue that had received little attention and did so ... Read more ...