Rules:

1.  The Mindset Award for Reporting on Addictions rewards significant works of public interest journalism, consistent with the principles of the Mindset guide, which are incisive or investigative and materially advance public awareness and understanding of issues involving addictions. These include Substance Use Dependency, but also other clinically recognized forms, such as addiction to gambling.

2. The competition is open to work by any journalist or journalists, whether general-assignment or specialist, staff or freelance, in print, broadcast or online news media, national or local. Self-published work is not eligible. There is a parallel French award. 

3. To qualify, entries must have been published or broadcast in Canada for the first time between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Entries may consist of single articles or broadcast reports, or a series. A series should normally be identified as such at the time of publication, but the jury may consider sustained reporting on a closely defined topic over a period of time beginning within the year in question and ending before the date on which entries open, if the selectors are satisfied that all the elements of the entry are related.

4.  Applications may be made by individuals substantially responsible for the work or on their behalf by the media organization by which the entry was published. 

5. There is no application fee. Individual journalists may make only one application in each competition. Media organizations may make a maximum of four in each competition.

6.  Applications must be submitted through the on-line process accessible on the Mindset website between 9 a.m. Eastern time on February 16, 2026 and 5 p.m. Eastern time on March 6th, 2026.  Finalists are expected to be announced by March 31, and winners by April 30.

7. The award consists of a prize of $1,000 CDN and framed certificate/s. It will be presented at a lunchtime event during the annual CAJ national conference on Friday, June 12, 2026, at Carleton University in Ottawa. The Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, which administers the award independently of the CAJ, may offer travel assistance at its discretion for a winner or representative to attend the presentation. 

8. The jury may, in its discretion, award one or more honourable mention prizes of not less than $250 in addition to the main prize, together with framed certificate/s.

9. The winner/s of any award may, at their discretion, choose to direct that prize money be donated to any Canadian charity. The Forum, under Canadian charity law, is not permitted to make donations to foreign charities or non-profits, except for a few which have a special working relationship with the federal government.