Overview

The American Mosaic Journalism Prize is awarded for excellence in long-form, narrative, or deep reporting on stories about underrepresented and/or misrepresented groups in the present American landscape.

The prize recognizes journalism’s critical ability to foster greater understanding, and aims to recognize and support freelance journalists with an unrestricted cash award of $100,000 per recipient. The prize is intended to call attention to the recipients’ great promise, and to give them the freedom to continue their work.

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2023 Recipient: Cerise Castle

Cerise Castle is a freelance journalist specializing in arts and culture, civil rights, crime, and human-interest stories. 

In 2021, Cerise published a 15-part series uncovering deputy gangs operating inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for Knock LA, a nonprofit journalism site. The series exposed 18 gangs, 19 documented murders (all of whom were people of color), and over $100 million dollars in lawsuits paid for by the people of Los Angeles.

View Cerise’s Profile

2023 Recipient: Carvell Wallace

Carvell Wallace is a writer and podcaster covering race, arts, culture, film, and music for a wide variety of news outlets.

As a magazine contributor, he has written profiles in GQ, Esquire, Glamour, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. He has also hosted multiple podcasts, including “Closer Than They Appear,” which explored race and identity in America, and “Finding Fred” which focused on Fred Rogers’ teachings and their use within systems of oppressions.

View Carvell’s Profile

2023 Judges

Katherine Boo

Author and The New Yorker Magazine Editor

Graham Lee Brewer

Investigative Reporter,
NBC News

Farai Chideya

Journalist/Host,
Our Body Politic

Stephanie Foo

Author and Freelance Journalist

Antonia Hylton

Correspondent,
NBC News and MSNBC

Tracy Jan

Deputy Health and Science Editor,
Washington Post

Jaweed Kaleem

Foreign Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times

Wesley Lowery

Journalist,
Author, Correspondent

Perla Trevizo

Reporter,
ProPublica — Texas Tribune Investigative Initiative

Daniella Zalcman

Documentary Photographer and Founder of Women Photograph