The Distinguished Reporting Award was given to “The travelling tribunal“. This story was written by Johannes Böhme and published by Die Zeit. It talks about the special trial of Gibril Massaquoi, a man from Sierra Leone that is accused of crimes against humanity and judged by a Finnish tribunal that moved, for the occasion, to Monrovia for several months.
The Innovation Award was won by “Russian Asset Tracker“. This is a project by OCCRP and The Guardian. In the wake of Russia’s brutal assault on Ukraine, governments worldwide imposed sanctions on many of Putin’s enablers. The authors of this investigation tracked down as many of these assets as possible and compiled them in the Russian Asset Tracker database for the public to see and use.
The Investigative Reporting Award was given to “Death Weapons: Inside a Teenage Terrorist Network“. This story tells about a group of young neo-Nazis who were planning violent attacks in Europe and the US.
The first-ever Migration Journalism Award was won by “The long road to a home in Europe“. This story shares the life experiences of eight migrants who were part of a group of 118 men that moved to Europe across the Mediterranean Sea.
The Public Discourse Award was given to a story about sexual violence in Ukraine by Russian soldiers. The story is called “She lost consciousness as it was happening and she’s actually grateful she did“.
The Special Award this year was given to a story about the war in Ukraine. The story, “Suicide missions, abuse, physical threats: International Legion fighters speak out against leadership’s misconduct“, talks about leadership misconduct behaviour in the International Legion. The International Legion is a group of soldiers from different countries that was formed by President Volodymyr Zelensky when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Alan Rusbridger, the Chair of the Panel of Judges, praised the winners: “This award recognises the hard work, bravery, and strength of the journalists who have been involved… They are the best among us.”
The award ceremony was done together with the ZEG Storytelling Festival, an event that celebrates storytelling and journalism. The festival is organised in Tbilisi by Coda Story and Impact Hub Tbilisi.
This year, the Migration Journalism Award was given for the first time. This new award category was introduced in 2022, with the help of Fundacíon porCausa, the International Congress on Migration Journalism in Mérida, and financial support from the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
Dr. Raphaela Schweiger, Director of the Migration Program at the Robert Bosch Stiftung, spoke about their support for the Migration Journalism Award: “Stories about migrants and refugees and the role of media and journalism are very connected. The creation of a European Migration Journalism Award helps to support clear and independent reporting on migration, making the debate less polarised.”
