The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness celebrates reporting, writing and storytelling that uses robust evidence and data, highlights evidence-led solutions and conveys insights from personal experiences of homelessness.

Launched in 2023 in partnership with the Orwell Foundation, the prize seeks to encourage and celebrate accurate and impactful reporting and story-telling of experiences of homelessness and what works to prevent it, and thereby contribute to re-setting the narrative around homelessness.

A lot of stigma is attached to homelessness, coupled with many misconceptions, which act as barriers to action to prevent homelessness and offer support to people who find themselves without a safe and secure place to live. Accurate, evidence-led and impactful reporting and story-telling of experiences of homelessness - and what works to prevent it - are particularly important to change how the issue is perceived and discussed.

The prize welcomes new writing and reporting from previously unpublished writers and reports with lived experience of homelessness in all its forms, alongside journalists working to shed light on the issue and its potential solutions. Any format may be considered: a piece of journalism or creative writing, a film, or piece of video or audio content, photojournalism or a post or thread on social media. Entries are encouraged from journalists, authors, artists, film-makers and, especially, from people with direct personal experience of homelessness. Judges look for entries that avoid or challenge stigma associated with homelessness, including in the use of language.

The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness is open for entries online or by post until 31st March 2025. This year, the judges will also have the option of awarding one or more further opportunities to the best unpublished entries, including a free place on an Arvon residential writing course and a bespoke journalism mentorship.

2024 Winners

‘A lot of people still think homelessness is a choice. It’s not. It’s desperation’ – ‘Unheard Voices’, a Manchester-based community reporting network. 

2024 Finalists

NHS patients sent from hospital to the street – Holly Bancroft for The Independent‍

Homeless families forced to live in tents and hotels as temporary accommodation runs out – Daniel Hewitt, Imogen Barrett and Mariah Cooper for ITV News

Homelessness soars in wake of increasing evictions by landlords – Liam Thorp of the Liverpool Echo‍

‘They throw you away like garbage’ - The homeless families being told to move up to 230 miles away by councils – Vicky Spratt in the i Paper

A single parent flat-hunting on Universal Credit - London, 2023 – Hannah Silva

My Nugget of Wisdom – David Tovey

'Solving our dire homes crisis will be the key to getting into No10 - it starts with social housing' – Kwajo Tweneboa

2023 Winners

Hidden homelessness is about to get worse – Freya Marshall Payne

Being homeless felt inevitable – Daniel Lavelle

2023 Shortlist

Almost one million facing eviction – Daniel Hewitt

Making women count – Lucy Campbell

'The loss is part of me now' – Vicky Spratt

An Existence – Zohra Naciri

Cost of exempt accommodation – Jack Simpson

Destitute by design – Daniel Trilling

‘Two toilet rolls and a washing tablet.’ – Carolyn Atkinson