# Simon Rockower Award

A Simon Rockower Award is an award presented by the American Jewish Press Association for "Excellence in Jewish Journalism", at a banquet in November each year.
The awards were created in 1979 by the children of Simon Rockower. Rockower was a Jewish philanthropist, who emigrated to the United States from Austria. In cooperation with the American Jewish Press Association and Yeshiva University, the awards were first given for the year 1980, the hundred year anniversary of Rockower's birth, under the name of the "annual Simon Rockower Memorial Writing Competition."

## List of categories

The first competition had six categories. As of the 2016 awards there were 24 categories, and in 2017, 22. In 2024, there were 32 award categories, plus three additional wild card categories for reporting on the Israel-Hamas war.
Until 2020 the entries for most categories were divided by circulation. Since 2021 the divisions are Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers, Monthly Newspapers and Magazines and Web-based Outlets.
| Category | Description | Division A | Division B | Division C |
| 1 | The Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 2 | Award for Excellence in Single Commentary | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 3 | Award for Excellence in Personal Essay | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 4 | Award for Excellence in Editorial Writing | All | | |
| 5 | The Boris Smolar Award for Excellence in Enterprise or Investigative Reporting | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 6 | Award for Excellence in News Reporting | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 7 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Social Justice and Humanitarian Work | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 8 | Award for Excellence in Feature Writing | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 9 | Award for Excellence in Arts News and Features – Reporting (movie, theater, television, books, music, etc.) | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 10 | Award for Excellence in Arts – Review/Criticism (movie, theater, television, books, music, etc.) | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 11 | Award for Excellence in Personality Profiles | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 12 | Award for Excellence in Special Sections or Supplements | All | | |
| 13 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Health Care | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 14 | Award for Journalistic Excellence in Covering Zionism, Aliyah and Israel | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 15 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Women | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 16 | Award of Excellence in Writing about Jewish Heritage and Jewish Peoplehood in Europe | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 17 | Award for Journalistic Excellence in North American Jewish History | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 18 | Award for Excellence in Photography | All | | |
| 19 | Award for Excellence in Interfaith Relations Reporting | All | | |
| 20 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Food and Wine | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 21 | Award for Exellence in Writing about Sports | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 22 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Seniors | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 23 | Award for Excellence in Business Reporting – Trends | All | | |
| 24 | Award for Excellence in News Obituaries | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 25 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Politics/Government | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 26 | Award for Excellence in Education Reporting | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 27 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Antisemitism | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 28 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Jewish Thought and Life | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 29 | Award for Excellence in Writing about Young Families/People | Weekly and Biweekly Newspapers | Monthly Newspapers and Magazines | Web-based Outlets; Digital Only, Website Only and Wire Services |
| 30 | Award for Excellence in Podcasting | All | | |
| 31 | Award for Excellence in General Newsletters | All | | |
| 32 | Award for Outstanding Accomplishments - Best Freelancer | All | | |