As submission deadlines loom for most of the major journalism awards, we're assessing which of our hats we'd like toss into the various rings. Although we've only been fully operational for about four months now, we feel as if we have much to be proud of.

That's why it was particularly pleasing to see our senior reporter, David Heath, get a nod two weeks ago by Investigative Reporters and Editors for his work on subprime lending fraud, and then get another two days ago by Pulitzer Prize historian Roy Harris.

And while all of us here at the Investigative Fund would be thrilled if we capture a few awards, we're just as interested in capturing the attention of new audiences for investigative journalism. To do so, we have to build upon the tradition of investigative reporting with the newest bricks in online media: citizen journalism, distributed research, multimedia and Twitter are just a few that we're already using. But we have much more innovating to do.

One thing is certain: Five years from now, awards judges will be looking at very different submissions than they are today. No doubt, the heart of investigative reporting will remain, thanks to the perseverance of newspapers and nonprofits. But the heightened role of multimedia and interactivity, propelled by informed citizens, will reshape these stories in ways that we have yet to realize.