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 closed.
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.
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]
2026 Winner: Douglas MacMillan '17
This year, the Welles Prize was awarded to Douglas MacMillan from The Washington Post, who spent 17 months reporting on President Trump’s historic expansion of immigration detention. MacMillan followed the money to executives and investors who were profiting from housing immigrants in substandard facilities. The Knight-Bagehot class of 2017 alum used leaked documents, developed connections around ICE, and found sources inside Trump's administration to support his groundbreaking investigation.
Welles judge Leslie Wayne called MacMillan's series “powerfully revealing.”
“The stories sparked a national conversation about conditions in ICE detention facilities and gave the nation a peek inside places that the administration wants to shroud in secrecy,” said Wayne. “Even more, the reporting led to changes.”
The Washington Post was the first to publish details about ICE’s plan to retrofit industrial warehouses into immigrant detention centers, which led to local communities pushing back and successfully getting ICE to reverse course in more than a dozen cities. MacMillan’s report on ICE’s expansion of GPS ankle monitors also led to a class-action lawsuit arguing for the release of thousands impacted.
“This is an example of what dedicated and fearless reporting can do,” added Wayne.
Past Winners
2025
Omar Mohammed, 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.
Barbara Demick, Class of 1985, for her book, “Daughters of the Bamboo Grove,” which examined the human and economic costs of China’s one-child policy.
Finalist: Douglas MacMillan, Class of 2017, 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.
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.