A website for the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism is set to be launched this Tuesday, with submissions opening to journalists on the same day.
The €20,000 prize money will be awarded to outstanding journalism, promoting or defending the core principles and values of the European Union, among them human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights.
Its first award ceremony will be held in October this year, close to the fourth anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s brutal murder.
The prize is open to professional journalists and teams of professional journalists of any nationality to submit in-depth stories that have been published or broadcast by a media outlet based in one of the 27 European Union member states.
The winning entry will be selected by an independent jury composed of representatives of the press and civil society from the 27 EU countries, as well as representatives of the main European journalism associations.
MEP David Casa, who pushed forward the idea of the prize in the EU Parliament, said it showed the EU’s strong support for investigative journalism.
“At the beginning, there was some hesitation on the concept of a prize for journalism, but together with other promoters of this prize, we managed to convince Parliament’s Bureau that this is the best message we can give to the journalism profession,” he said.
“The European Parliament stands with journalists, who are indispensable for properly functioning democracies. Their work should be appreciated and they should be encouraged to investigate and to hold power to account,” he continued.
He said it was “a fitting tribute” to the murdered investigative journalist, and would ensure her work and bravery continue to inspire journalists for years to come.
An event celebrating the website launch will take place on Tuesday, June 22, at the Press Club Brussels Europe, Rue Froissart 95 - 1040 Brussels.
It is open to the public and those wishing to attend are invited to register at the Press Club Brussels Europe by emailing secretary@pressclub.be. People can also follow via Zoom.