The voices of our Community from iMEdD’s International Journalism Forum

For the second year, we had the opportunity to be part of iMEdD’s International Journalism Forum, contributing to it with our yearly Community Event and, to close the third day of the Forum, with our ‘EPPisodes: Odyssey Edition‘, a format that merges storytelling and journalism from the Prize Laureates.

During our Community Event, an entire day dedicated to our Laureates, the journalists that make the European Press Prize stronger, and help us stay connected with all the media professionals of Europe and beyond, we ran an open survey, asking one simple question: What is a community, to you?

We want to showcase some of their answers, raw, as they were written, so that they can spark everyone’s imagination, foster conversation on what journalism needs and is, and allow us to identify clear goals and opportunities for growth.

And if you are part of the Prize community but weren’t in Athens with us, or if you are a media professional and want to tell us what you think, leave here your thoughts for us!

A community is:

• A group of people with at least one element of affinity and the desire to gather to share thoughts and ideas related to it as ways to learn, practice, networking, enjoying and feel we are not alone and we belong.
• A clan. A family. Somewhere where you feel safe and appreciated. In short: a clan that celebrates!
• It is the sharing of ideas, visions, concerns, fears, celebrations, miseries.
• A community is a place where you are accepted, beloved and respected for what you are, and where you accept, share and love the others, like in a family. The European Press Prize is that.
• It is a place where I feel safe, inspired and valued. Where I can fail and learn.
• A community is a safe place that helps you feel less alone, a safe place to share your ideas no matter how crazy, without judgements. Also, a community is a group that can (nicely) kick your ass and send you back to work whenever needed.

More about the International Journalism Forum

iMEdD’s International Journalism Forum is an annual journalistic meeting organised by iMEdD (incubator for Media Education and Development), and was held from September 28 to 30 in Athens.

The Forum brought together the global journalism community for sessions of knowledge-sharing, networking and inspiration, providing an opportunity for participants to explore the ways in which innovation and journalism can co-create the industry’s next day. 

Attendees took part in a packed schedule of talks, workshops, open discussions and other events that were designed to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing among journalists.

Selected sessions of #iMEdDIJF23 are available to watch on demand at this link.

The European Press Prize 2024 is open for entries

The European Press Prize, the award for excellence in European journalism, is open for entries until December 15, 2023. Journalists from all 46 countries of the Council of Europe, and from Belarus and Russia, are invited to present their best work produced in the past year. They have the opportunity to become Prize Laureates and be awarded 10,000 euro prizes.

The European Press Prize was founded in 2012. Quality journalism is of vital importance to healthy democracies, especially in a time when information is omnipresent. Therefore, the European Press Prize is committed to encouraging journalism of the highest quality in Europe – because a healthy, well-informed public debate led by professional journalists is crucial for democracy and the rule of law.

By celebrating the many skilled professionals who operate in the field of independent quality journalism, the Prize wants to set an example of what quality journalism in Europe entails.

In previous years, works realised by journalists from very different backgrounds and with the most diverse skill sets were nominated for, or won, the European Press Prize. The list of winners spans from stories that tackled topics such as women’s health – like Lara Bonilla and Ricard Marfà’s infertility: The other face of motherhood” – to investigations into neo-Nazi terrorist cells across Europe, like “Death Weapons: Inside a Teenage Terrorist Network” by Alexander Nabert, Christina Brause, Bryan Bender and Nick Robyns-Early. From innovative projects of data journalism like Maldita’s Whatsapp chatbot to tackle misinformation, to cross-border ones, for example, the collaborative project Russian Asset Tracker.

The rules

Journalists from all 46 countries of the Council of Europe, plus Belarus and Russia, are eligible to enter their work. Journalists working in Europe and journalists writing for a European publication can submit their work. The work submitted must have a publication date between December 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.

The European Press Prize is awarded in five categories: Distinguished Reporting, Innovation, Investigative Reporting, Migration Journalism and Public Discourse. The Panel of Judges also awards a Special Award for excellent journalism that defies categories and disciplines.

Only pieces of up to 5,000 words are accepted, and shortlisted ones will be translated into English to allow them to reach an even bigger audience.

Visit https://www.europeanpressprize.com/before-you-enter/ for more information and to apply