What are the monetary prizes?

In 2025, there are six Goldziher Prizes for an individual journalist or a team: 

• Professional Journalists for stories or opinion pieces, in the same medium.

  Two prizes, $7,500 each 

  Community Journalists or Contributors for stories or opinion pieces, in the same medium.

  Two prizes, $5,000 each.

• Young Voices

  Two prizes for stories, in any medium, $2,500 each.

What is the impetus for focusing on Jewish-Muslim relationships this year?

Please note that we could have organized the 2025 competition to include political, ethnic, racial, religious, and all sorts of hyphenated identifiers; such as Arab Christians, Palestinian citizens of Israel, Arab Jews, and so on. Feel free to define ‘Muslims and Jews’ broadly.

The impetus for this year’s competition is the philosophical and psychological notion that the stories we tell shape our collective reality. See its practical uses by activist Dani Varadi, founder of  I Am Your Protector and friend of the Goldziher Prize.

One common response to experiences of collective trauma, combined with irresponsible political, religious, or educational leadership, is to see a whole group of people as a monolithic block of threatening perpetrators. Fears — based upon real and imagined dangers — have their own logic and lead to indiscriminate hatred of a whole group. This blocks discernment and energy to look for allies or solutions to conflict. These conditions (see Donna Hicks on Dignity), increases the likelihood of explosive violence.

If negotiations or solutions to conflicts reflect the relationships that give birth to them, then inequality, rage, indignity, and hopelessness — tragic peace inhibitors — are baked into the “solutions,” and therefore, doom them to failure. I learned this from Rev. Dr. Ronald David, M.D. who taught a course on the Politics of Diversity at Harvard’s Kennedy School years ago. I’ve never forgotten this lesson. The proof, in part, is ongoing violence in the Middle East, propelling me to frame the Goldziher Prize this year about Muslim-Jewish relationships that begin to counter devastation we find ourselves in today for the sake of a more peaceful future. - Tamar

What is an example of a fitting entry?

Please see Amanpour Khalil Goldman.

To learn more, also see Journalism Professor and Goldziher judge, Ari Goldman, on  Empathetic Objectivity: A Strategy for Journalists. 

Another Way of Speaking about Muslim-Jewish Relationships:

What is Track I & Track II Diplomacy?

A good friend of TRACK TWO: An Institute for Citizen Diplomacy and a good friend of The Goldziher Prize, Joseph V. Montville (1937-1922), was a compassionate American diplomat and public intellectual who coined these now popular terms.

Track 1 and Track 2 diplomacy refer to different levels of engagement or conflict resolution, aimed at bettering communal, regional, or international relationships.

Track 1 is official, formal diplomacy carried out by representatives, such as, heads of state, diplomats, and other high-level governmental officials. It involves excruciatingly detailed (often long-term) discussions, negotiations, and treaties that are conducted through official channels.

Track 2 is more informal, unofficial diplomacy undertaken by non-governmental actors such as academics, private individuals, businesspeople, grass-roots campaigners, social benefit organizations, activists, and professional groups. Efforts involve many forms of engagement that complement, subvert, or add power to official diplomatic processes.

Both tracks aim to build trust, address underlying issues, create a conducive environment and to accrue power in the service of peace building, which at times, is a long, excruciating process.

Who may enter the 2025 Goldziher competition?

If you are an employee, immediate family member, contractor, officer or director of either Making Peace Visible or the William and Mary Greve Foundation, you are not eligible to apply for the prize.

What must I do to enter the competition?

The application form (TBD 2025) asks for your contact information, two pieces of work — published or unpublished — created after June 15 2023; your resumé or CV; and if applicable, information about the impact of your work.  Your entries must be entered as links to a webpage.

Your entries may be in written word, digital. photographic, graphic, audio or video.

In addition, one (1) piece of supporting material can be entered. If it is part of a series or a collection, the additional piece may be work created prior to June 15, 2023. 

For professional and community journalists (professional or freelance contributors), both entries must be in a single medium. The additional piece of supporting material may be in another medium. 

For Young Voices, the two pieces may be in two different mediums.

Because we would like to encourage works that are are bold, clear, and do not reflect unbridgeable divisions, we will accept published and/or posted work or work that is not yet published.

Which journalism category should I use for my entry?

• Professional Journalists: If you are an employee or creator and are paid to regularly contribute your work to a national, local media, or global outlet, you are qualified to apply as a Professional Journalist. Although any paid journalist can contribute to this category, entries at this level will be of the highest quality of rigorous professionalism. If you work for a smaller publication or an outlet whose mission is not expressly journalism, please consider applying in the community category.

• Community Journalists: The Goldziher Prize honors journalism at the community or organizational level. The community category is intended to find and encourage good local journalism and special interest constituents or consumers of media.

• Young Voices: Students, creators, and young journalists 18 - 24 who are passionate capable storytellers.

Does my entry have to be published or posted?

Entries can be yet-to-be-published or posted but those that are published or posted will be weighted more heavily by the judges.

How will I know if my entry is accepted for review by the judges?

You will receive a notification from us when your application has been received.

How many pieces of journalism can I enter? 

An individual or team should enter two pieces of journalistic works. One piece of supporting work is optional. Please see Rules for more details.

How many times may I or we enter the competition?

An individual or team may enter one time only in each Goldziher round. If you have entered the competition in 2017, 2019, or 2022, or 2023, you may enter again in 2025.

Can I enter my CV and work as a Word or PdF attachment? 

We much prefer internet links, but if there is a firewall that won't allow sharing, please send as a PDF to Tamar Miller goldziherprize@gmail.com

Do I have to provide my email address to enter or ask a question?

Yes. Thank you.

What rights am I agreeing to when I enter my work?

The Goldziher Prize will never publish your work without your permission nor use your private information for commercial purposes.  See Rules.

I uploaded my entry but I don’t see it on the site. What happened? 

The website is primarily meant to explain the Goldziher Prize, to help people enter the competition, and to provide a way for us to accept entries. We also post winners’ entries when we have permission. If you would like this website to post your entry, let us know on the Contact page.

Is there a competition entry fee?

There is no fee to enter. 

Who can enter the competition? 

Anyone who fits the criteria for entry anywhere in the world can enter the 2025 competition.

What happens once I enter my work? 

You will receive a notification once your application has been received. Tamar Miller, the Goldziher Prize Lead on behalf of The Greve Foundation, will review all submissions to ensure they meet the criteria. The judges will then review the submissions and together determine the winners. Awardees will be contacted in TBD 2025, and a public announcement will follow. At the Making Peace Visible Summit in 2026 (TBD), we will hold a public conversation and celebrate.

Will my work be published without my permission?

The Greve Foundation or Making Peace Visible may like to post entered works on Goldziher.org and/or MakingPeaceVisible.org, but will not publish your work without your explicit approval and approval of the copyright holder, if other than yourself. In the event that the work entered is copyrighted, we will honor those restrictions.

Do I have to pay taxes if I will one of the monetary prizes?

Each winner is responsible for paying all taxes on his or her prize; and the fiscal sponsor, Albert E Marks Charitable Trust, will report all prizes to the U.S. government, as required by law.

How do I help this competition succeed?

Join the Making Peace Visible International Summit in 2026. (exact date and place TBD)

Thank you!