Croly Award
The Jane Cunningham Croly Award for Excellence in Journalism Covering Issues of Concern to Women, or simply, the Croly Award, recognizes journalists who best capture the courage, vision, and spirit of Jane Cunningham Croly. Jane Cunningham Croly was a pioneering journalist who devoted her life to helping women improve their lives and expand their rights. The Croly Award winner must demonstrate a concern for the rights and the advancement of women in our society; an awareness of women’s sensitivity, strength, and courage; and/or an attempt to counteract existing sexism.
The application for the 2021 Croly Award is now closed.
Croly Award Winners
The Croly Award has a distinguished list of winners since it was created in 1996.
2021 | Amy Brittain
Amy Brittain, Investigative Reporter
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| In Canary, a seven-part investigative podcast series, Amy Brittain interviews two women who refused to stay silent about their experiences with sexual assault. Canary shines a bright spotlight on the consequences that survivors may face when they report, calling attention to how difficult the decision to come forward can be for survivors.
Read the press release here. |
2019 | Selena Rezvani
Selena Rezvani, Columnist and Author
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| In her TEDx Talk, Interrupting Gender Bias Through Meeting Culture, Rezvani explores how men and women can negotiate the workplace together to reimagine the future through everyday meetings. She presents simple actions that can disrupt bias, boost women’s voices, and make a shift. These actions include making sure women are represented at the meeting table in the first place, giving everyone equal airtime, and creating the conditions where people want to participate and contribute.
Read the press release here. |
2017 | Aela Callan
| Aela Callan, Documentary Filmmaker and Journalist |
| Good Morning Pakistan: Journalists Under Threat, produced by Al-Jazeera’s 101 East Program is a film follows the lives of journalists in Pakistan’s tribal areas and effectively illustrates the incredible risks faced by female reporters in the area every day. Callan reveals how women’s stories would go untold if not for the tireless work of reporters in Peshawar’s Tribal News Network. |
2015 | Ada Calhoun
| Ada Calhoun, Freelance Journalist and Author |
| Pregnant On Opiates: When Following Doctors’ Orders Breaks the Law gives readers a glimpse into the life of Jenessa Moman, a mother of four who struggled with addiction and later, the justice system upon following direction from her doctors to ensure the health of her baby. Calhoun effectively highlights the fear of women like Moman, who find themselves caught between accepted medical maintenance for themselves and their child, and laws that state that very same maintenance is child abuse. |
2013 Jessica Ravitz
| Jessica Ravitz, CNN Digital writer/producer |
Saving Aesha |
| Saving Aesha is an in-depth, moving, and complicated story, which offers a glimpse into the life of Aesha Mohammadzai, a young Afghan woman whose nose and ears were hacked off by the Taliban, and her struggle and the struggle of the many people around her, to achieve the fairy-tale ending that has thus far proven elusive. |
2012 | Abigail Pesta and Selena Rezvani
| Abigail Pesta, Newsweek/The Daily Beast |
How A Blogger Blocked Sex Slavery |
| How A Blogger Blocked Sex Slavery tells the story of how a 24 year-old New York City woman took in two stranded Russian college students, saving them from possible human trafficking – simply because she read about their plight online. |
| Selena Rezvani, Washington Post columnist |
On Leadership |
| Selena Rezvani writes a series of columns in the “On Leadership” section of the Post, including A Glass Ceiling, By Any Other Name. The article asks if such monikers help or hinder women’s progress among the workforce and presents a clear focus on current problems while offering potential solutions. |
2011 | Abigail Pesta
Abigail Pesta, Marie Claire Editor-at-Large
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An American Honor Killing |
| An American Honor Killing sheds light on the shocking practice of honor killings in our country by examining the tragic murder of a young woman at the hand of her father. |
1996-2010 Winners
| 2010 |
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| Erin Grace, World-Herald reporter |
Why So Few Women? |
| Why So Few Women? explores why women in Omaha are so outnumbered by men in high-ranking corporate positions. |
| 2009 |
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Marielena Zuniga, Best For Women staff writer
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Series of articles
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| Is There A Doctor in the House? discusses the number of obstetricians leaving their practices and the role of rising malpractice insurance costs on this scarcity; The Breastfeeding Battle is about mothers’ ongoing struggle with breastfeeding and the professional work environment; and Gender in the Media tackles persistent sexual stereotypes in women’s representations in the media. |
| 2008 |
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Laura Ungar, The Courier-Journal health reporter
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Series of articles
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| Ungar’s articles focused on efforts by researchers at the University of Louisville to develop cervical cancer vaccine options for the world’s poorest populations. |
| 2007 |
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Marianne Pearl, Glamour writer
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Global Diary Series
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| In Pearl’s Global Diary series, the writer seeks to meet women who, by challenging their own fate, are shaping our world and helping to write the history of our generation. |
| 2006 |
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Lou Kilzer, Rocky Mountain News writer
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Battered Justice
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| Battered Justice discloses the serious flaws and questions about the methods used by the criminal justice system in Colorado and elsewhere to fight domestic violence over the past 20 years. |
| 2005 |
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Sharon Lerner, freelance writer
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Series of articles
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| Lerner has covered issues of concern to women with articles that appeared in The Village Voice and The Nation magazine. |
| 2004 |
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Mariko Thompson, Los Angeles Times writer
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Series of articles
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| Thompson’s articles explored current scientific research on two major illnesses affecting women, heart disease and breast cancer. |
| 2003 |
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Susan Swartz, The Press Democrat reporter
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Series of articles
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| Swartz’ articles explored the gaps in perception between the roles of men and women in a society often dominated by the male viewpoint. |
| 2002 |
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Rahel Musleah, freelance writer
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Series of articles
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| Musleah wrote articles about the achievements of extraordinary women. |
| 2001 |
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Rachel Zimmerman, The Wall Street Journal reporter
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Series of articles
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| Zimmerman’s articles dealt with the politics of the abortion pill RU-486. |
| 2000 |
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David Crary, Associated Press writer
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Series of articles
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| Crary’s articles dealt with divorce among lesbians who are jointly raising a child; the diverse epidemic in four Bible belt states; and a unique prison that allows children up to 6 years old to live with their mothers who are completing jail terms. |
| 1999 |
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Marina Pisano, San Antoino Express-News writer
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Series of articles
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| Pisano’s articles dealt with the invisibility of women in traditional American history, the plight of a woman who, at 34, learned that she has terminal colon cancer, and the controversy surrounding Navy pilot Kara Hultgreen’s tragic crash. |
| 1998 |
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Paula Brock, Seattle Times writer
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Series of articles
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| Brock’s articles focused on strong women who make hard decisions and find meaning in life. |
| 1997 |
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Ilana DeBare, Sacramento Bee reporter
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Series of articles
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| DeBare’s three-part series focused on the gender gap in the computer industry. |
| 1996 |
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Sara Hammel, Middlesex News reporter
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Series of articles
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| Hammel wrote a three-part series on an army-sponsored women’s strength study to determine if women can perform demanding physical strength tasks usually assigned to men in the military. |
