A radio report on how traditional folk dancing has built a bridge between Belgium and Bulgaria, a glimpse at the impact of Poland’s EU accession on Europe’s labour market and a portrait of Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244/1999) as an emerging European hub of culture were the European Young Journalist Award 2010 reports that caught the European jury’s attention and took the award’s flagship Special Prizes.
After months of anticipation, the three winners of the Special Prizes in the 2010 competition were announced in Istanbul last night. Vladisav Velev from Bulgaria for the Most Original Report, Prune Antoine from France for Best Research, and Verena Ringler from Austria for Best Journalistic Style, were selected from among the 35 national winners and will each be given the opportunity to take a trip worth up to € 3 000 to a European destination of their choice. A jury of Brussels-based correspondents and previous winners evaluated the national winning articles and selected the three outstanding pieces.
Alexandra Cas Granje, Director for Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey and Iceland at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement, commended the national and special prizewinners: “These inspirational young journalists have shown great commitment and a diversity of approaches to enlarging our vision of what Europe means today.”
The third edition of the European Young Journalist Award ran from October 2009 to February 2010 and attracted over 1000 entries from throughout Europe. The competition challenged journalists and students of journalism aged 17-35 to represent EU Enlargement from creative and thought-provoking angles. Eligible for entry were citizens of EU member states as well as from candidate countries (Croatia, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and potential candidates (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo) and, for the first time, Iceland.
The national winners of the third edition of the competition travelled to Istanbul and participated in a closing conference on 11 May 2010. These winners were selected by national juries in each of the participating countries. During the competition’s closing conference the winners discussed various issues related to EU Enlargement including Turkey’s EU membership prospects and the role of the media in facilitating the ongoing dialogue on EU Enlargement across Europe.
For further information about the award and to read the winning reports, please refer to the competition website: www.EUjournalist-award.eu.
