Help Shape the Inaugural Neal Conan Laureates

Acclaimed NPR reporter, executive producer and host of Talk of the Nation, Neal J. Conan

Update — September 29, 2026: The inaugural 2027 Neal Conan Laureates have been announced: Nikole Hannah-Jones, Latif Nasser, Lydia Polgreen, Pablo Torre and Lauren Williams. Meet the Laureates and learn about the spring 2027 symposium. This article and poll are retained as part of the original May publication; suggestions for the inaugural class are no longer being sought.

A poll to help shape the first cohort of Neal Conan Laureates intended to honor journalists who have innovated and adapted throughout their careers while maintaining the highest standards of journalistic rigor and ethics.

This summer, we name the first class of Neal Conan Laureates — working journalists recognized for keeping faith with rigor even as the form of the work changes. The Advisory Committee finalizes the inaugural cohort in late June.

Before we do, we want to hear from the Prize community.

Which career arc would you most like to see in the inaugural Laureates class?

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• A reporter who built an independent platform
• An editor who founded something new
• An audio or video journalist who changed form
• A teacher-scholar still doing public journalism

Thank you for shaping this. We'll share the results with the community after the Laureates are named.

— The Neal Conan Prize