Christopher J. Welles Memorial Prize
Honoring outstanding work by a Knight-Bagehot alum
The Welles Prize was launched in memory of former Knight-Bagehot Fellowship Director Christopher J. Welles. 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 exceptional business story or series by a former Knight-Bagehot fellow.
The recipient of the Welles Prize receives $500.
Submissions for the 2026 Christopher J. Welles Memorial Prize are now open. The winner will be announced in October.
Deadline to Enter: Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT
The Welles Prize is open to alumni of the Knight-Bagehot Fellowship.
The work should reflect the rigor and sophistication expected of Knight-Bagehot alums.
Work must have been published between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026.
Self-nominations are welcome.
Stories with shared bylines may be submitted if the Knight-Bagehot alum played a leading role (please explain in the cover note). Only alumni will receive the award.
If submitting a book for consideration, three copies must be provided. Send to Knight-Bagehot Fellowship. Columbia Journalism School / Pulitzer Hall, 2950 Broadway, 10027.
Nominations for a multi-year body of work are accepted if they also include work produced during the entry period.
There is no entry fee.
Note: If you are nominating someone other than yourself, we do not expect an extensive recommendation. Most importantly, tell us in your own words why this person is deserving of the Welles Prize in 2026. If you have links to the work, please include them.
Questions? Email [email protected]
2025 Winners: Omar Mohammed '22, Barbara Demick '85
Finalist: Douglas MacMillan '17
The Welles Prize judges elected to award two entries this year. One prize goes to Globe Media economics reporter Omar Mohammed, Knight-Bagehot Class of 2022, for his series in The Boston Globe examining the impact of the Trump administration’s economic policies on local small businesses and manufacturers. His stories included a look at how tariffs are causing chaos for local manufacturers and how firms that rely on exports to China have been affected.
The judges also awarded a Welles Prize to Barbara Demick, Knight-Bagehot Class of 1985, for her book, “Daughters of the Bamboo Grove,” which examined the human and economic costs of China’s one-child policy.
The judges also cited Washington Post reporter Douglas MacMillan, Knight-Bagehot Class of 2017, as a finalist for his series “Arrested by AI,” which uncovered how the use of AI by police forces has led to false arrests and violations of standard investigative tactics.
Past Winners
2024
Douglas MacMillan, Class of 2017, for his work on Memory Inc., a series of stories in The Washington Post investigating how elderly people with memory problems had wandered away from the assisted living facilities that were paid to keep them safe. At least 100 of these people died.
2023
Jon Hilsenrath, Class of 1996, for his biography, "Yellen: The Trailblazing Economist Who Navigated an Era of Upheaval."
John Tozzi, Class of 2017, for his series of stories in Bloomberg News exposing how New Jersey’s health insurer overpaid claims by millions of dollars and yet continued to do business with the insurer.