Journalists are invited to submit their investigative stories published during the previous calendar year. The award aims to advance freedom of expression, uphold the rule of law, and shed light on diverse issues affecting national and regional dynamics. These may include organised crime, corruption, extremism, foreign influence, human rights violations (including in the digital realm), and other issues crucial for public awareness.

In addition to the national awards, the organisers will choose the best regional investigative stories for the second year in a row. The regional award aims to inspire the exploration of issues transcending national boundaries and address challenges impacting the entire region. Entries nominated for the regional award must be translated into English.

The annual award fund remains at €10,000 per country, with an additional €10,000 allocated for the regional Award. Prizes for both national and regional categories are as follows: €5,000 (first place), €3,000 (second place), and €2,000 (third place).

Participants can nominate entries for either the national, regional award, or both, with the flexibility to submit a maximum of three applications to the competition.

The esteemed jury comprises local and international media experts, editors, academics, and seasoned journalists, ensuring a fair and rigorous evaluation process. This year, the jury members of the national competitions have an exclusive right to suggest stories they recognize have regional value for the regional competition, even if the story wasn’t initially nominated for that level of the competition. If the nominees do not win the national award, they can still compete for the regional award if they fulfil the criteria.

The EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2024 is organised by Thomson Media, a renowned entity committed to media development and promoting press freedom worldwide. As last year, the competition is organised as a part of “Strengthening Quality Journalism in Western Balkans and Türkiye II” project, aiming on improving quality journalism visibility across the region.

The project is funded by the European Union and is implemented by a consortium composed of Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – BIRN Hub, Central European University (CEU) – Hungary, Association of Journalists (AJ) – Türkiye, Thomson Media (TM) – Germany, University Goce Delcev Stip (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 submission is 13 June 2024 until midnight (CET).

- To download all necessary documents for Albania click here