Media Contact:
Skyler Sales: skylers
gwu [dot] edu (skylers[at]gwu[dot]edu)
WASHINGTON (January 20, 2026) -- The School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA) at the George Washington University announced the creation of an endowed Democracy Innovation Prize. This annual competition will recognize a student project that promotes democracy, strengthens democratic institutions, and builds democratic participation.
The SMPA Democracy Innovation Prize is the brainchild of veteran journalist John Barth, whose generous gift endowed the prize. Barth, a member of SMPA’s National Council, explained, “The students in SMPA and the George Washington University are on the front lines of democracy. This prize will encourage and reward student ideas and practical ways to strengthen the democracy they will inherit and lead.”
SMPA Director Peter Loge explained that the prize is modeled after business plan and venture competitions. “SMPA will identify an area in which our democracy can be strengthened and challenge students to find a way to meet that need. We envision the annual competitions focusing on ways to increase voter participation, promoting and building trust in local media, encouraging civic and social participation, or fostering civil discourse across differences.”
“This competition will encourage students to directly confront fundamental problems with democracy and address pressing problems,” said Barth. “Given SMPA’s leadership in the study and practice of political communication and journalism, and GW’s location in the heart of the nation’s capital, there is no better place, school, and student body for a competition like this. Certainly, there is no more important time for an effort like this to focus on small and large solutions,” he added.
Loge said he hopes the competition will draw students from across GW’s academic disciplines, and also get the attention of national organizations and foundations working on issues on which the competition will focus. “A lot of successful entrepreneurs got their start in case-based competitions. We think we can do the same for democratic innovation but tapping into the broad interests and expertise of why students study at GW.” He added, “John Barth’s generosity will allow SMPA to significantly turn up the volume on what we’re already doing and bring a multi-year focus to democracy,” noting that in recent years, SMPA alumni have launched a local newspaper and a nationally recognized effort to register and turnout voters at historically Black colleges and universities.
Barth added, “While numerous colleges and universities have business case competitions, few have anything like what SMPA and GW will do. We hope the Democracy Innovation Prize competition will be a model for others to follow.”
SMPA plans to name the subject of the first challenge and hold the first competition beginning this Fall at the start of the 2026 - 27 academic year.
-GW-