International Music Journalism Award

Find here all information about the IMJA, the Application Form as well as the Winners Archive

About

In 2025, we are presenting the International Music Journalism Award for the eighth time! 

On Friday, 19 September 2025 at the Schmidt Theater, Hamburg, we will celebrate the IMJA winners at the end of this years's re:publica Hamburg x Reeperbahn Festival and honour all those who report on pop culture and the music industry with a clear view, creative formats and a good portion of passion. 

Why are we doing this? 

That's because quality music journalism is a vital component of a diverse and vibrant cultural landscape. The world of pop culture and the music industry is constantly evolvingsocially relevant, multilayered, and dynamic. It takes voices with depth, conviction, and enthusiasm to tell these stories and to provide context, critique, and inspiration. 

We know that high-quality, critical journalism doesn't emerge in a vacuum. Cultural journalism, in particular, faces immense financial, structural, and content-related pressures. Many long-established publications are struggling to survive, making it difficult for emerging journalists to enter and build long-term careers in the field of music journalism. 

That’s why we present the IMJA: to recognize outstanding individual works, consistent relevance, bold new formats, and journalistic voices that set benchmarks in the field. We place a special focus on journalists under 30, who are shaping the journalism of tomorrow with fresh perspectives and new approaches. 

 

Awards will be presented in the following categories: 

  • Best Music Journalist of the Year (in German & English) 
  • Best Music Journalistic Work of the Year (in German & English) in the following formats: 
    • Text (Print & Online) 
    • Audio 
    • Multimedia 
    • Best Music Journalistic Work by an Author Under 30 (in German only) 

 

Who can take part? 

You can submit journalistic work that deals with pop culture and/or the music industry in all its dimensionswhether focused on artists, scenes, concerts, economic developments, or social debates related to music. Submissions can be made by the authors themselves or nominated by others. So if you’ve come across a piece that stands out, we warmly invite you to nominate it for the award. 

To be considered by the jury, submissions must meet the following criteria: 

  • Content Focus: Your work should center on pop culture or the music industry. This could be a portrait, a festival report, an analytical essay, a podcast on streaming trends, and much more. 
  • Public Access: The work must already be published and publicly accessiblewhether in print, online, radio, TV, podcast, or as a multimedia project. 

 

For the category Best Music Journalist of the Year, we don't just assess a single piece, but the ongoing journalistic contribution. We’re looking at how the journalist contributes over time to the quality, visibility, and depth of music journalism. We’re particularly interested in personalities who stand out through expertise, integrity, and impact. 

 

We look forward to your submissions until 18 July! 

 

Ap­p­li­ca­ti­on Form

Video Thumbnail

re:publica 25: Christian Tjaben - Der International Music Journalism Award 2025 @ Reeperbahn Festival (German)

What can music journalism do in times of streaming algorithms, generative AI texts, social media influencing, too little pop culture criticism in public broadcasting and too many podcasts? 

Presenter and Reeperbahn Festival Conference curator Christian Tjaben explains the importance of the IMJA at the start of the 2025 edition. 

(German)

Win­ners Ar­chi­ve