Journalists from the Western Balkans region and Türkiye are invited to submit their investigative stories
The EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2023 is now accepting submissions. Once again, the prestigious Award celebrates the best investigative stories published in the previous calendar year and is awarded in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.
This year, aside from national awards, the EU Award is introducing a regional award, targeting the best stories from the entire region based on clearly defined criteria. This new category is an exciting development for the award, as it will encourage journalists to think beyond national borders and tackle issues that affect the entire region.
The annual award fund for each of the countries is 10,000 euros, and the prize fund for regional awards is also 10,000 euros. The three best stories of the year are awarded, and the amount of prizes for national and regional prizes is 5,000 (for first place), 3,000 (second), and 2,000 (for third) euros.
Stories that can be nominated should contribute to freedom of expression, the rule of law, transparency and stories that cover variety of topics affecting national and regional economies, struggles and challenges to countries’ EU integration processes, societies and countries’ perspectives, e.g. organised crime, corruption, the rise of extremism, various forms of foreign influence, human rights violations, including those in the digital sphere, and other topics that the public would not otherwise be familiar with.
Entries can be nominated for the national, regional award, or both, and this possibility is offered through the application form itself. Additionally, one candidate can apply with several stories to the competition.
The winners of national awards in the Western Balkans region and Türkiye automatically become candidates for the regional EU award for investigative journalism, if their application form stated so. The jury for both national and regional awards consists of local and international media experts, editors, members of academia and journalists with merits.
The organiser of the award is Thomson Media, an organisation with decades of experience in media development and the promotion of media freedom on a global level.
The EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2023 is part of the project “Strengthening Quality Journalism in Western Balkans and Türkiye II”. The award aims to recognise and promote outstanding achievements in investigative journalism, as well as improving the visibility of quality journalism in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.
The project is funded by the European Union, and it is implemented by a consortium composed of Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – BIRN Hub, Thomson Media (TM), Central European University (CEU) – Hungary, Shtip (UGD) – North Macedonia, The Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) – North Macedonia, Media Association of South-East Europe (MASE) – Montenegro, and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Kosovo (BIRN Kosovo).
The deadline for submissions is June 20th, 2023, until midnight CET.
To access calls for all countries, please visit this page.
For more details, contact [email protected].
