WASHINGTON, D.C. — August 3, 2026 — The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications named KARE 11, the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis, the winner of the $25,000 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability for its investigation into Medicare fraud in Minnesota, “Housing Hustle,” which exposed oversight breaches within the state’s Housing Stabilization Services program and prompted major state reforms. The entry was chosen from 110 submissions nationwide, making it the first local broadcast newsroom to win the prize since it launched in 2019.
Second place ($5,000) went to CalMatters for “License to Kill,” an investigation showing California’s DMV rarely investigates drivers involved in fatal crashes, and third place ($2,500) went to the joint Tallahassee bureau of the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald for “Hope Florida,” which uncovered how $10 million in public funds tied to a charity backed by Florida’s first lady ultimately reached a political committee.
The prize, now the most lucrative journalism award in the country focused on state government accountability, is funded by an endowment from Nathan S. Collier, chair of The Collier Companies. Collier is a descendant of Peter Fenelon Collier, who founded Collier’s magazine in 1888, and in 2024 he committed an $8 million gift to UFCJC to sustain the prize long-term.
The winners were honored at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C. on July 24, 2026.
Full article: jou.ufl.edu
