The awards are a continuation of the on-going regional EU Investigative Journalism Awards in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.
The project partners involved have extensive expertise in the field of media freedom and have been recognised locally and internationally as strong independent media organisations.
The jury for the EU Awards comprises media experts, including experts from the consortia or others drawn from extensive network partners, such as editors, members of academia and journalists with merits.
The money for the awards is €10,000 per country per year, gross. The first prize will be €5,000, the second, €3,000, and the third, €2,000.
In the period 2019-2022, partners responsible for organising and implementing the EU Awards were the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers in Macedonia, SSNM, the Center for Investigative Journalism in Montenegro, CIN CG, BIRN Albania, BIRN Serbia and the BIRN Hub. From 2023, partners responsible for organising the EU Awards are Thomson Media, the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers from North Macedonia and the Association of Journalists / Gazeteciler Cemiyeti from Türkiye.
The awards will be given annually in all six Western Balkan countries and Türkiye.
Starting from 2023, regional awards will be organized for investigative stories that qualify for the winning stories on the national level, while collaboration between two or more targeted countries will be also encouraged. The money for the awards is €10,000 per year. The first prize will be € 5,000, the second, € 3,000, and the third, € 2,000.