Gerald Loeb Award


The Gerald Loeb Award, also referred to as the Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism, is a recognition of excellence in journalism, especially in the fields of business, finance and the economy. The award was established in 1957 by Gerald Loeb, a founding partner of E.F. Hutton & Co. Loeb's intention in creating the award was to encourage reporters to inform and protect private investors as well as the general public in the areas of business, finance and the economy.

Gerald Loeb

Loeb first became known for his book The Battle for Investment Survival, which was popular during the Great Depression and is still considered a classic. Born in 1899, Loeb began his investing career in 1921 in the bond department of a brokerage firm in San Francisco, California. He moved to New York in 1921 after joining with E. F. Hutton & Co., and became vice-chairman of the board when the company incorporated in 1962. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 greatly affected Loeb's investing style, and in his 1971 book The Battle for Stock Market Profits, he viewed the market as a battlefield. Loeb offered a contrarian investing viewpoint, in books and columns in Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, and Investor Magazine. Forbes magazine called Loeb "the most quoted man on Wall Street." He created the Gerald Loeb Award in order to foster further quality reporting for individual investors.

The award

The award has been administered by the UCLA Anderson School of Management since 1973, and is sponsored by the G. and R. Loeb Foundation. It is regarded as: "business journalism's highest honor," and its "most prestigious." Beginning with just two winners in 1958 and expanding to three in the final years before the Anderson School began to administer the award, today there are ten categories in which prizes are awarded: large newspaper, medium newspaper, small newspaper, magazine, commentary, deadline or beat writing, wire services, and television. Those honored receive a cash prize of US$2,000, and are presented with the award at a ceremony in July of the year following their piece's publication. The preliminary judging committee includes business, financial and economic journalists, as well as faculty members from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Once the finalists are selected, a final panel of judges consisting of representatives from major print and broadcast outlets selects a winner from each category. The final panel of judges is chaired by the dean of the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Entries are judged according to their originality, news value, writing quality, thoroughness and balance, and production value.

Award categories

Award categories varied over the years.
CategoryYears awarded
Audio2016–2019
Beat Reporting2011–2019
Beat Writing2001, 2003–2010
Blogging2011–2012
Books1974
Breaking News2008–2019
Broadcast2013
Broadcast Enterprise2012
Business Book2006–2012
Columns1977
Columns/Editorial1973–1976, 1978–1982
Commentary1985–2019
Deadline and/or Beat Writing1985–2000
Deadline or Beat Writing2002
Deadline Writing2003–2007
Editorial/Commentary1983–1984
Editorials1970–1972
Explanatory2011–2019
Feature2015–2019
Feature Writing2007–2010
Gerald Loeb Memorial Award1974–1978
Images/Graphics/Interactives2016–2018
Images/Visuals2013–2015
International2013–2019
Investigative2013–2019
Large Newspapers1974–2014
Lifetime Achievement1992–2019
Local2015–2019
Magazines1958–2014
Medium & Small Newspapers2009–2012
Medium Newspapers1987–2008
Minard Editor Award2002–2019
Network and Large-Market Television1997, 1999–2000
News or Wire Service2002
News Services2008–2014
News Services Online Content2003–2007
Newspaper1958–1973
Online2008–2009, 2013–2014
Online Commentary and Blogging2010
Online Enterprise2011–2012
Other TV Markets1997
Personal Finance2010–2018
Personal Service2019
Radio1997, 1999–2001
Small Newspapers1974–1983, 1985–2008
Small & Medium Newspapers2013–2014
Special Award1966, 1968–1970, 1972–1973, 1975–1976, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1994
Special Book Award1969
Spot News1983–1984
Television2001–2002
Television Breaking News2009–2010
Television Daily2007–2008
Television Deadline2005–2006
Television Enterprise2006–2011
Television Long Form2003–2004
Television Short Form2003–2004
Video2016–2019
Video/Audio2014–2015
Visual Storytelling2019

Winners