Christopher J. Welles Memorial Prize | Columbia Journalism School

Christopher J. Welles Memorial Prize

The Welles Prize honors the memory of Christopher J. Welles, a former director of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship. A leading business writer and editor for 40 years, Welles was known for his penetrating accounts of corporate abuse and misbehavior. The Welles Prize is awarded annually for an outstanding business story or series by a Knight-Bagehot alum.

The winner will be announced in October 2023. 

 

Guidelines

  • The work must be produced by a Knight-Bagehot alum.
  • The work must have been published between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.
  • The work should reflect the rigor and sophistication expected from Knight-Bagehot fellows.
  • Self-nominations are welcome.
  • Team nominations will be accepted if each principal is a Knight-Bagehot alum.
  • Nominations for a multi-year body of work are acceptable so long they are also reflected in work done over the past year.

How to Submit

Submissions for 2023 are closed. 

2022 Winners

head shot of emmanuel dogbevi

Emmanuel K. Dogbevi, the managing editor of Ghana Business News, was awarded the Welles Prize for his stories on financial corruption in Ghana and exploitation of the country’s natural resources. Dogbevi launched the news site in 2008 and runs it mainly on his own with the help of occasional volunteers. Among his stories, he combed through the Pandora Papers to uncover the Israeli ownership of a company that was profiting from government contracts. He investigated a former Ghanaian Ambassador to the U.S. for engaging in business deals outside of his home country, which is prohibited by the Vienna Convention. And he examined the lack of regulation and oversight of the gold mining industry. 

 

Questions?

Contact Amy Singer, deputy director, Knight-Bagehot Fellowship.