The medal - the top honour in the awards - recognises the Guardian's US team for their reporting of the NSA revelations.
Explaining their decision in the award, judges said "the Guardian US revealed a story that continues to reverberate in the United States and across the globe.
"The Guardian's reporting, and that by other news organizations, prompted vigorous debate in the U.S. and around the world as well as numerous legal challenges, Congressional hearings and legislation calling for reform of NSA programs."
The awards will be presented at the 2014 IRE Conference in San Francisco, California on Saturday 28 June. The annual IRE Awards, established in 1979, recognise outstanding investigative work from around the world.
