Honors a news-oriented project or ongoing partnership that exemplifies the culture of sharing and cooperation in nonprofit news and expands the impact of its journalism.

2026 Award Winner

The War Horse and NPR

This Company Charges Disabled Vets Millions, Even After VA Said It’s Likely Illegal by Quil Lawrence, Chris Arnold, Caley Fox Shannon; 

VA Warned These Companies They May Be Breaking the Law. Most Are Still in Business by Leah Rosenbaum

U.S. military veterans are supposed to receive free initial consultations about their benefits. But an investigation by NPR and The War Horse, which covers the military, found that companies across the country have been charging big bills — sometimes as much as $20,000. And no one was stopping them. 

At times, disabled veterans were billed even though the companies charging them did little work. The news outlets also found cases where companies used aggressive tactics to collect fees from veterans. The companies also used automated systems and veterans’ Social Security numbers to track the outcomes of their benefits claims to trigger invoices. 

The reporting caught some lawmakers’ attention, spurring legislation that aims to stop such predatory practices. 

The collaboration “deserves recognition because of the way it untangles a complex system, identifies key failures and highlights harms to vulnerable veterans,” a judge said. 

Read the Winning Work

This company charges disabled vets millions, even after VA said it’s likely illegal Dec. 2, 2025

VA Warned These Companies They May Be Breaking the Law. Most Are Still in Business Dec. 2, 2025

Firms that help military vets with their disability claims can charge exorbitant fees Dec. 2, 2025

Congress calls for a crackdown on companies charging disabled vets Dec. 10, 2025

Response to NPR’s investigation into companies charging vets for free benefits Dec. 13, 2025

Finalists

• Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto, the Howard Center for Investigative Reporting at the University of Maryland, and partners across Europe, Bad Practice, Eiliv Frich Flydal⁩ (VG), George Greenwood (The Times), Kira Zalan (OCCRP)
• Grist, WBEZ, and Inside Climate News, Chicago’s Lead Crisis, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, Keerti Gopal, Peter Aldhous, Clayton Aldern, Amy Qin
• Central Florida Public Media, Ocala Gazette, Orlando Sentinel, Osceola News-Gazette, Oviedo Community News, VoxPopuli, Winter Park Voice, WKMG News 6, WUCF, LkldNow, The Community Paper, Sleeping Behind Bars, Staff
• MindSite News, South Side Weekly, Invisible Institute, Medill Investigative Lab-Chicago, Policing the Vulnerable, Josh McGhee, Diana Hembree and Rob Waters from MindSite News; Sam Stecklow, Dana Brozost-Kelleher and Isabelle Senechal from Invisible Institute; Adam Przybyl from South Side Weekly; and Kari Lydersen from Medill Investigative Lab-Chicago