Applications are now open for the GIJN Global Shining Light Award 2023. Every two years, the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) presents the Global Shining Light Award, a unique award which honors investigative journalism in a developing or transitioning country, done under threat, duress, or in the direst of conditions.
Each year dozens of journalists and media workers are killed – and hundreds more are attacked, imprisoned or threatened – just for doing their job. Many of these violations of free expression occur in developing or emerging countries, and quite often during military conflicts. There are a number of international awards recognizing such attacks on freedom of expression.
But there is another clear trend that emerges in analyses of global attacks on reporters and the media. More and more journalists are being killed, and media outlets attacked, because they are carrying out important efforts in investigative journalism – exposing uncomfortable truths, shining light on systematic corruption, and providing accountability in societies yearning for democracy and development. There are more journalists killed each year covering corruption and politics as are killed covering wars, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
On behalf of the global investigative journalism community, GIJN is pleased to recognize and celebrate these courageous investigative journalists and their work.
Categories of the GIJN Global Shining Light Award 2023.
- Small and Medium Outlets (organizations with staff of 20 or less, including freelancers)
- Large Outlets (organizations with more than 20 staff)
Award
- Top winners will receive an honorary plaque, US$2,500, and a trip to the 2023 Global Investigative Journalism Conference to accept the award in front of hundreds of their colleagues from around the world.
Eligibility Criteria
The GIJN Global Shining Light Award 2023 is open to journalist, journalism team, or media outlet that have produced independent, investigative reporting, which:
- Originated in and affected a developing or transitioning country;
- Was broadcast or published between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022;
- Was of an investigative nature;
- Uncovered an issue, wrongdoing, or system of corruption which gravely affected the common good;
- And did so in the face of arrest, imprisonment, violence against them and their families, or threats and intimidation.
How to Apply for GIJN Global Shining Light Award 2023.
An international panel of judges, consisting of investigative journalism experts, will decide on the winner. The judges, in their discretion, may select more than one winner to recognize outstanding work.
- Due to the high volume of applications, they ask that you send online links to your work samples. If your sample is not available as a public link, you can easily upload your document to a platform such as Google Drive or Dropbox, and share the link with shininglightaward@gijn.org. If you run into any problems, send them an email.
- If submissions are in languages other than English, you must provide a detailed English-language summary of a print or online story, or an English-language transcript of a broadcast script.
Recommended: The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing 2023 ($10,000 prize)
Deadline: February 28, 2023.