Quite a few Journalismfund Europe supported projects have won awards, internationally or in their respective countries. Find them here:

2024

Two Investigations shortlisted for the Sigmas 2024

Documentary film "Planet B" wins the Ensor 2024 for Best Documentary Film in Belgium. 

Pieter Van Eecke, read the investigation here

Investigative photo book "Wild Land, the return of wild animals" wins De Bronzen Stekker, the culture award of the municipality of Koekelare, Belgium.

Paul Cobbaert, read the investigation here

Investigation “The Road of No Return” wins the Special Jury Award of the Tekka International Film Festival

Vanja Stokic, Ajdin Kamber and Goran Gazdek exposed the tragic loss of migrants from Asia and Africa, who drown in the rivers between Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. Read the investigation here

Three Investigations shortlisted for the True Story Award 2024

  • “The TuNur Solar Exportation Project: An Unjust Green Energy Project” by Aida Delpuech and Arianna Poletti. Read the original here or the translation into English here 
  • “How Exotic Birds are Trafficked from Guinea into the EU via Serbia” by Nemanja Rujević, Nathalie Bertrams, Dr. Tristen Taylor and Ingrid Gercama. Read the awarded article in Serbian here and more about the investigation here (including links in other languages).  
  • “How to build a life in a state in decline?” by Ula Idzikowska and Marek Kowalczyk. Read the story in Polish here and more about the project here.

2023

Investigative podcast and book "The history of the Belgian sperm bank" was nominated for- and won awards in 2023

  • The Belfius Press Prizes 2023, nominated
  • De Oorkondes 2023, nominated
  • KVAB Jaarprijs voor wetenschapscommunicatie, won

Tinne Claes and Wederik De Backer. You can read the story here

Investigation into the exploitation of workers in Italy’s kiwi industry shortlisted for two awards

  • The ‘Tina Merlin’ national awards for Investigative Journalism
  • The Fetisov Journalism Awards 2023, in the Outstanding Investigative Reporting category
    Stefania Prandi, Francesca Piculli, Charlotte Aagaard and Kusum Arora revealed how farm workers trafficked from Punjab in India to work in the kiwi fields of Lazio. Read more about the project and see the stories here

Investigation into the illegal crude oil mining in Nigeria won the 2023 Hostwriter Story Prize
Raluca Besliu, Elfredah Kevin-Alerechi and Kevin Woke uncovered the harmful impact of Total's illegal oil and gas exploration activities in Nigeria. Read the investigation here.

Investigation “Dry to the Bone” won the 2023 ILO Global Media Competition on Labour Migration
Claudia Colliva, Giada Santana and Juli Simond delved into the role of organised crime and the labour exploitation in the agricultural market.
Read the investigation here.

Investigation "Hands on Deck" won the Investigative Writing Award at the Irish Food Writing Awards 2023

This award was judged by Dan Saladino, a BBC journalist, and kindly sponsored by Drummond House Garlic. This competition is to reward and share excellence in writing and content production on Irish food. It is open to writers, journalists, chefs, bloggers, broadcasters, photographers and those who promote Irish food on social media.

Read the story here

Investigation into the “forever chemical” PFAS that pollute sites all over Europe, awarded the 2nd place of the Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting, in the large market category.

This award of the Society of Environmental journalists went to Tim Luimes, Stéphane Horel, Tomas Vanheste, Sarah Pilz and Gianluca Liva who exposed over 17,000 PFAS-contaminated sites across Europe, with an additional 22,000 potential contamination sites caused by past or ongoing industrial activities, highlighting environmental concerns. Read the story here.

Two investigations supported by Journalismfund Europe, shortlisted for the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism 2023

  • The bankers of irregular migration, an investigation by Elena Ledda, Andrea Giambartolomei, Priyanka Shankar, Emma Yeomans, Andrés Mourenza and Iliana Papangeli. Read the story here.
  • The Forever Pollution Project, an investigation by Tim Luimes, Stéphane Horel, Thomas Vanheste, Sarah Pilz and Gianluca Liva. Read the story here.

Two investigations supported by Journalismfund Europe shortlisted for the Hostwriter Story Prize 2023

  • Nigeria: Illegal crude oil mining, an investigation by Elfredah Kevin-Arelechi, Kevin Woke and Raluca Besliu. Read the story here.
  • The environmental and social impacts of Europe and Japan's waste to energy push in Southeast Asia, an investigation by Nithin Coca, Alexandra Buba, Geela Garcia and Nicha Wachpanich. Read the story here.

Two investigations supported by Journalismfund Europe win the 2023 Climate Journalism Award

  • The Dark Trace in the water of the cheap meat big business, an investigation by Ana Tudela and Antonio Delgado wins in the Data Category. Read the story here.
  • The Sinking Cities Project, an investigation by Rehab Abdalmohsen, Ope Adetayo, Shamsuddin Illius, Lois Kapila, Zuza Nazaruk and Zuha Siddiqui wins in the Emerging Talent Category. Read the story here.

Investigation into the illegal waste importation to the Czech Republic from Germany, finalist in the German Text and German Multimedia category of the German-Czech Journalism Award

Journalists Michael Billig, Marius Münstermann and Zuzana Šotová revealed how a German company sent a potentially harmful product to a Czech waste site.Read the story here

Investigation into banned EU pesticides use in Kenya and Cameroon, runner-up in the Digital category at the 11th Annual Journalism Excellence Awards

Journalists Mary Mwendwa and Christian Locka established that Chemical Pesticides produced in the USA and Germany, banned within the European Union markets, are still used in Kenya and Cameroon. Read the story here

Investigation into the Dark Trace of the Intensive Macro-farms in Europe nominated to Premio Gabo 2023

Journalists Ana Tudela and Antonio Delgado were part of a team who showed how areas of extremely high concentration of intensive macro-farms in Europe have polluted rivers, aquifers and even drinking water. The Gabo Festival will be the opportunity to honour the best journalistic work in Ibero-America at the Gabo Award Ceremony. Read the story here

Investigation into the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda wins the recognition of the most prestigious competition for visual artists in Ibero-America (POY Latam).

Journalists Dicta Asiimwe and Pablo Garrigós Cucarella investigated how the work of Ugandan scientists in the frontline of zoonotic disease surveillance, in the context of weak and under-supported healthcare systems in Africa, and how this could jeopardise the goal of protecting the global population from the next pandemic. Pablo Garrigós Cucarella won on the category of photojournalists in the world. 

Read the story here

Investigation into the international bird trade wins the award for best article in the print media category of the Dejan Anastasijević award 2023.

Journalists Nemanja Rujević, Ingrid Gercama, Nathalie Bertrams and Tristen Taylor investigated how the smuggling of songbirds and other tropical birds to the European Union (EU) has skyrocketed in recent years, especially along the Balkans trafficking route. Read the story here

Investigation about Indian workers exploited in Italy wins the Ivan Bonfanti journalism prize 2023.

Journalists Daniela Sala (Italy), Ankita Anand (India) and Marco Valle (Italy) investigated how, through debt, a network of intermediairies linking India to the Pontine countryside keeps thousands of Indian workers under blackmail, exploited in one of the largest fruit and vegetable districts in Europe. Read the story here

Three investigations supported by Journalismfund Europe are shortlisted for the Justice Media Awards 2023. 

  • Hands on deck: exploitation of migrant fishing workers in Ireland, an investigation by Maria Delaney, Geela Garcia and Louise Lawless. Read the story here
  • Peat pressure: industrial peat extraction in enforcement firing line, an investigation by Niall Sargent and Juris Jurans. Read the story here
  • Hidden cross-border pollution in Ireland and the United Kingdom, an investigation by Luke Butterly, Niall Sargent, Rory Winters, Ella McSweeney and Tommy Greene. Read the story here

Two investigations supported by the Investigation Grants for Environmental Journalism won the Portuguese-German Journalism Prize

Tobias Asmuth investigated the consequences of the Alqueva Dam for the south of Portugal, read his investigation here. Ricardo Rodrigues' investigation follows the work of a team of researchers which is, in fact, the urgent fight of Science to stop the species and biodiversity decline, read the story here

Investigation about the post-election collapse in Belarus won the Amnesty Media Award. 

Olga Loginova and Ottavia Spaggiari investigated how the regime responded to the protest by unleashing an unprecedented level of violence. Read the story here

Investigation "Hands on Deck" won the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards for Journalism Excellence

Maria Delaney, Geela Garcia, and Louise Lawless investigated how exploited Asian migrant workers in the Irish fishing sector are being ‘failed’ and ‘ignored’. Read the story here

Investigation about the surrogacy industry in Kenya nominated for the Inge Fetrinelli Award

Naipanoi Lepapa (Kenya) uncovered a multitude of worrying allegations about the unregulated surrogacy industry in Kenya. Read the story here.

Investigation about the post-election collapse of human rights in Belarus nominated for Fetisov Journalism Awards.  

Olga Loginova and Ottavia Spaggiari investigated how the regime responded to the protest by unleashing an unprecedented level of violence.  Read the story here.

2022

Investigation about destructive mining operations in Serbia nominated for the Dejan Anastasijević investigative journalism award in Belgrade

Ingrid Gercama, Nemanja Rujević and Natalie Bertrams investigated that de EU's craze for lithium brings about a loss of biodiversity and pollution in Serbia. Read the story here.

Investigation About Indian workers exploited in Italy wins the 2022 Global Media Competition on Labour Migration award

Journalists Daniela Sala (Italy), Ankita Anand (India) and Marco Valle (Italy) investigated how, through debt, a network of intermediairies linking India to the Pontine countryside keeps thousands of Indian workers under blackmail, exploited in one of the largest fruit and vegetable districts in Europe. Read the story here

Investigation About Pollution Of the Poultry Industry In Ireland has won The Business Analyst of the Year Journalism Award

Journalists Niall Sargent (Noteworthy.ie), Rory Winters, Luke Butterly & Tommy Greene (The Detail), and Ella McSweeney (The Guardian) investigated the environmental impacts of the poultry industry in Ireland and the United Kingdom as it expands in line with State policy. Read the story here

Investigation about the financial management of the poverty non-profit organisation Poverello wins prestigious award in the Netherlands. 

Journalists Ruben Brugnera and Marieke Brugnera have won 'De Loep', the most prestigious award for investigative journalism in The Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). Read the story here.

Naipanoi Lepapa has been included in the list of Top 100 Kenyans 2022 for her investigation on the surrogacy industry in Kenya

Every year, Kenyans.co.ke releases the highly anticipated list of Top 100 Kenyans who stood out and disrupted the status quo countrywide, during the period under review - between January and December. Naipanoi's investigation uncovered a multitude of disturbing allegations about the unregulated surrogacy industry in Kenya. Read the story here.

Ouder/Elder shortlisted for the Rose d'Or 2022.

The podcast Ouder/Elder by Lander Kennis and Rafael Njotea is on the shortlist for the prestigous Rose d'Or. Read the story here.

Nieuw België, een migratiegeschiedenis wins prestigious award in the Netherlands

Tom Naegels wins the 'Prijs voor het Belangrijkste Boek van het Jaar' (Award for the Most Important Book of the Year).

Read the story here

Nomination as finalist of #DIGAwards for 'The Hungarian Playbook' in the category of Investigative Long

Bence Máté, Florian Schewe and Áron Szentpéteri are finalists for the #DIGAwards with "The Hungarian Playbook" in the category Investigative Long. Read the story here.

Naipanoi Lepapa became Journalist of the Year with her story on the surrogacy in Kenya

Naipanoi Lepapa was among the journalists awarded during the 2022 Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA) held in Nairobi on Friday, May 6. At the awards organised by the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), Naipanoi was crowned the Journalist of the Year in recognition of her investigative articles at the outlet. Journalist of the Year award, which is the highest award recognition, went to Naipanoi Lepapa of The Elephant for a story on the surrogacy industry in Kenya, supported by Journalismfund's Money Trail Grants programme.  Read the story here.

When the good cause derails

A project supported by Journalismfund Europe has been longlisted by the VVOJ for the Loep 2021. This list contains – per category – the 10 best research stories from Belgium and the Netherlands. The investigation, supported by the Pascal Decroos Fund, is about the Belgian homeless organization Poverello, who has a poor image, but has 14 million in the bank and owns real estate worth 50 million euros. Read the story here

Nepalis abused by Nepalis in Luxembourg

Amnesty International Luxembourg has awarded its Amnesty Mediepräis 2022 in the category of "article" to Luc Caregari, who together with Namrata Sharma carried out an investigation revealing shortcomings in the fight against forced labor in Luxembourg. Through the testimony of a victim in the restaurant industry, the report reveals the wall of silence that daily life hides in a situation where the victim and the culprit are part of the same community. 

Jury member Petz Bartz explained the decision: “Luc Caregari's investigation was carried out in collaboration with Namrata Sharma in Nepal. It is a remarkable piece of international and cross-border journalism that even the pandemic has not been able to silence". Read the story here

2021

Hard Labour: How a lack of regulation puts Kenyan surrogates at risk

The Series: Hard Labour: The Surrogacy Industry in Kenya has been shortlisted for the Fetisov Journalism Awards. The Series was shortlisted in the category of Outstanding Investigative Reporting. Read the story here

ALL-IN 

This film has won the award for best documentary at the Antalya Altın Portakal Film Festivali, and the film has also been selected for the European Film Awards 2021. Read about the film here

Climate Change Adaptation Aid Never Reached Kenya's Farmers

Swedish Journalist Carolina Jemsby was shortlisted for the 'Golden Shovel' (Guldspaden) award for this story. Guldspaden is an annual Swedish prestigious award in investigative journalism. It is awarded by the Swedish Association of Investigative Journalism (Föreningen Grävande Journalister). Read the story here.

The consultant: why did a palm oil conglomerate pay $22m to an unnamed 'expert' in Papua?

This investigation was finalist in two categories of the Online Journalism Awards 2021: the ‘Knight Award for Public Service’ and ‘Excellence in Collaboration and Partnerships'. Read the story here

Bloed en honing (Blood and honey)

De Nederlandse Fotoboekenprijs (Dutch award): award for best text/photobook. Read the story here

Moeders ten laste (Financially dependent mothers)

Belfius Persprijzen: award for Best Podcast/Radio, most important journalistic award in Belgium. Read the story here.

Mother

Ensors 2021: award for Best Documentary Film, most important film award in Flanders, Belgium. Read the story here.

De onfatsoenlijken (The indecent)

Ensors 2021: award for Best Documentary TV, most important award in Flanders, Belgium. Read the story here.

2020

Factcheck.Vlaanderen

Factcheck.Vlaanderen is an online platform that uses artificial intelligence to detect disinformation and polarisation so that fact-checkers can verify and combat it. It was developed with an innovation grant from Journalismfund's Flemish Journalism Fund.
Professor Michaël Opgenhaffen was awarded the Annual Prize for Science Communication from the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts for the co-creation and co-management of Factcheck.Vlaanderen.

Financially dependent mothers

Nominated for the Prix Europa, Europe's largest annual tri-medial festival and competition. Read the story here

El Tarangu

Nominated for De Tegel, the most important award for journalism in The Netherlands. Read the story here.

Breasts

Longlisted for the Brusseprijs 2020 (award for the best journalistic book in Dutch). Read the story here.

The forgotten people

Shortlisted for the Brusseprijs 2020. (award for the best journalistic book in Dutch). Read the story here.

Mother

Longlisted for the One World Media Awards. Read the story here.

In search of the enemy

Won 'De Loep' (most prestigious award for investigative journalism in Flanders and The Netherlands, discerned by the Dutch-Flemish Association of Investigative Journalists VVOJ). Read the story here.

El Tarangu

Won the Title of 'Meesterverteller' (Master Storyteller) of the Dutch Narrative Journalism Foundation. Read the story here

The S53 

Won the Title of 'Meesterverteller' (Master Storyteller) of the Dutch Narrative Journalism Foundation
Read the story here

Land of plenty, land of but a few

Won the King of Spain International Journalism Award in the category environmental and sustainable development journalism. 
Read the story here

 

2019

Breathless (Ademloos)

2019 - Won the Ensors (Flemish film awards)  for the best documentary film - 14/09/2019
Read the story here

Once upon a time... (Er was eens...)

2019 - Nominated for the Ensors (Flemish film awards) - best documentary television
Read the story here

Mother 

2019 - Nominated for many festivals: Sheffield, Chicago, Ghent, Hot Springs, Rotteredam, Kosovo, Athens, DOCNYC, ...
Read the story here

Investigate Europe

2019 - Investigate Europe won the Hans-Matthöfer-Preis" for their publication on BlackRock's investment.

The slavery of care

2019 - Nominated for Belfius-persprijs in the category television press. - 08/05/2019
Read the story here.

Faire-part

2019 - Won the Prix Meilleur Documentaire international at the RIDM Montréal International Documentary Festival.
Read the story here

Land of plenty, land of but a few

2019 - Shortlisted for the New Media Writing Prize (NMWP) in the journalism category.
2019 - Nominated for The Prix Europa on the “Tv Current Affair” category.
2019 - Awarded the Prémio Gazeta Multimedia. The most important journalism prize in Portugal.
Read the story here

Mercy Killing

2019 - Nominated in De Loep's 'Signalerend' category - VVOJ - 22/03/2019
Read the story here

No friends but the mountains

2019 - Won the best short documentary at the Beloit International Film Festival, US.
Read the story here.  

Ghana For You

2019 - Nominated for FEPASCO (Burkina Faso): Compétition documentaire long-métrage 
Read the story here

2018

Beni Files

2018 - Aanmoedigingsprijs van ‘De Loep’- VVOJ (Nominated)
Read the story here

Fish & Ships: Europe’s fishing deals in West Africa

2018 - Hostwriter (Won 2nd Story Prize)
Read the story here

The Malta Files

2018 - The European Press Prize (Nominated)
Read the story here

Investigate Europe

2018 - Surveillance Studies Preis (Awarded)
Read the story here

2017

The Malta Files

2017 - British Journalism Awards (Nominated)
Read the full story here

The Watch List

 2017 - Vereniging Online Journalisten Nederland (VOJN) (Nominated)
Read the full story here

Kaliningrad, invisible battleground

2017 - Prix Philippe Chaffanjon (WON)
Read the story here

LON

2017 - Won Best Short Documentary - IDFA (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Read the story here

We must be dreaming

2017 - Won Social Art Award (Berlin).
Read the story here. 

2016

Who extracts the value of Nigerian Football Players?

2016 - CNN African Journalist Awards, category Sport Reporting (Won)
Read the story here

Insane Prices

2016 - Expopharm Prize (WON)
2016 - German Reporterpreis (Nominated)
Read the story here

Hearing Voices

2016 - European Science Writer of the Year (WON, by Michele Catanzaro)
Read the story here

Youth In Play / Game On

2016 - AMI Journalism against Indifference Prize (WON)
2016 - High Commission for Migration's Communication Award (WON)
Read the full story here

Land Grabbing in the EU

2016 - Investigative Reporting Award of the 2016 European Press Prize (Shortlisted)
Read the story here

2015

Organ Trafficking in Kosovo

2015 - Prix Louise Weiss for European Journalism (WON)
Read the story here.

2014

The Migrants Files

2014 - European Press Prize, Innovation Award (WON)
2014 - Global Editors Network Data Journalism Awards (WON)
2014 - Gold Medal at 'Premios ÑH'
Read the story here

The Belarus Network

2014 - European Press Prize, Innovation Award (Shortlisted)
Read the story here

Organ Trafficking in Kosovo

2014 - Prix Louise Weiss (WON)
Read the story here

Gaza's Gas

2014 - Reporting Europe Prize (Highly commended)
Read the full story here

2013

Gaza's Gas

2013 - Shortlisted for the Data Journalism Award 2013
Read the full story here

2012

Buy Your Way into EU Citizenship

2012 - European Press Prize (Shortlisted)
Read the story here

In the Name of The State

2012 - CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism (WON)

2011

In the Name of The State

2011 - Special investigative journalism diploma
Read the story here

Latvian Brides

2011 - Aleksandra Jolkina published a book about Latvian brides for which she was nominated as "Latvia’s 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report hero" by the United States Embassy to Latvia.

Read the story here. 

2010

Fields of Terror

2010 - CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism (WON)
Read the story here