European Commission launches Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize 2011

To mark World Press Freedom Day, the European Commission has launched the Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize 2011. The Prize is awarded annually for excellence in written, radio and TV journalism on the theme of development, democracy and human rights around the world and is open to journalists from across the globe.

Established in 1992 by the European Commission, the Lorenzo Natali Prize is awarded in memory of Lorenzo Natali, a former European Commissioner who sought to further the European Union’s development and aid programmes.

Print/online journalism winners will receive cash prizes of €5000 (1st prize), €2500 (2nd prize) and €1500 (3rd prize). The winners in the television and radio categories will be awarded €5000 each. The Grand Prize winner will receive an additional €5000. The winners will be announced at an award ceremony in December 2011.

To be eligible for submission, journalistic works need to have been published or broadcast during the period from 1 July 2010 to 31 August 2011. The deadline to submit applications is 31 August 2011.

Entries will be judged by an independent jury on their relevance to human rights, democracy or development issues. The originality of the piece, its quality, the depth of investigation carried out and any political impact it may have had will be considered as well. Entries should be submitted electronically at www.lorenzonataliprize.eu .