Stories exposing the cruelties of war in Gaza, a forgotten conflict in Africa, war, corporate exploitation of slave labour, and firms who work together to avoid cleaning up the damage they do to the environment took the top prizes at the 7th Annual Fetisov Journalism Awards (FJA) held in Cyprus on 22 April.
The four winners announced at the gala celebration held in Limassol were:
- An expose of forced labour in China and exploitation of vulnerable workers in Bangladesh in the production of goods for the French clothing giant Decathlon which won the Contribution to Civil Rights award for Pierre Leibovici;
- A challenging report from Wolfgang Bauer in Germany highlighting the largely ignored suffering of millions in the war in Sudan, which won in the category of Outstanding Contribution to Peace;
- A cross-border collaboration by 46 journalists led by Stéphane Horel a disinformation campaign by European firms facing a trillion-euro bill to clean up toxic waste which took Excellence in Environmental Journalism award; and
- A courageous investigation of genocidal violence in Gaza by Oscar-winning Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham in the category for Outstanding Investigative Reporting.
The winning entries each received a prestigious award and 100,000 CHF (around 108,000 Euro). There were prizes, too, for the runners up and third place entries in the four categories.
“All of these stories are courageous public interest narratives that hold power to account and expose appalling injustice,” said Aidan White, General Director of the FJA.
“They show that quality journalism, stylish and fact-based, continues to speak truth to power and remains a cornerstone of democracy and protection of the peoples, right to know.”
The gala celebration, attended by leading journalists from around the world and distinguished Cypriot guests, began with a statement from the Awards Founder Gleb Fetisov, who focused on the role of journalism in promoting peace.
Greeting and congratulations to the winners came from local dignitaries, including the President of the Cypriot Parliament Anita Dimiteriou and there was a message of support from Nikos Christodoulides, the President of Cyprus.
He warned that the world was in a dangerous place where a global conflict threatened and he highlighted the importance of journalism to provide truthful and reliable information that can keep the peace.
The Full List of this year’s winners is:
Contribution to Civil Rights
1. Pierre Francois Leibovici (France) "Decathlon profits from Uyghur forced labour in China" https://disclose.ngo/en/article/decathlon-profits-from-uyghur-forced-labour-in-china (100,000 CHF)
2. Viriya Paramita Singgih (Jakarta) "The fate of the indigenous O'Hongana Manyawa around Tesla’s supply chain on Halmahera" https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/c1e5x2k7kp8o (20,000 CHF)
3. Salahelden Ibrahim Ali Moursi Laban (United Kingdom) "The Dark World of Illegal Adoption in Egypt" https://www.independentarabia.com/node/618437/ (10,000 CHF)
Outstanding Contribution to Peace
1. Wolfgang Bauer (Germany) "The Forgotten" https://www.zeit.de/zeit-magazin/2025/10/krieg-sudan-krankenhaus-khartum-aerzte (100,000 CHF)
2. Ali Al Ibrahim (United Kingdom) "Unburying Syria’s Disappeared: Truth as the Road to Peace" https://indepthreports.eu/2024/12/21/unburying-syrias-disappeared-truth-as-the-road-to-peace/ (20,000 CHF)
3. Emina Dizdarević Tahmiščija (Bosnia and Herzegovina) "Focus on War Crimes Verdicts Leaves Victims Feeling Disappointed and Bosnia Spent Millions on War Monuments in Bosnia During Decade Lost for Reparations" https://tranzicijskapravda.detektor.ba/en/righttojustice/ (10,000 CHF)
Excellence in Environmental Journalism
1. Stéphane Horel (France) "Forever Lobbying Project / PFAS: The astronomical cost of depolluting Europe; Forever Lobbying Project / PFAS: How the chemical industry is derailing a ban on 'forever chemicals'; Forever Lobbying Project / The plastics lobby's disinformation campaign to defend PFAS" https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2025/01/14/pfas-the-astronomical-cost-of-depolluting-europe_6737022_8.html https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2025/01/15/pfas-how-the-chemical-industry-is-derailing-a-ban-on-forever-chemicals_6737079_8.html https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2025/01/16/the-plastics-lobby-s-disinformation-campaign-to-defend-pfas_6737093_8.html (100,000 CHF)
2. Vincenzo L Beiser (Canada) "A $60 Billion-a-Year Climate Solution Is Sitting in Our Junk Drawers" https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2024/11/demand-critical-metals-e-waste-recycling-clean-energy-climate-vince-beiser-book-power-metal/ (20,000 CHF)
3. Oliver Max Nicholas Laughland, Sara Kay Sneath, William Ryan Craft (USA) "The huge US toxic fire shrouded in secrecy: ‘I taste oil in my mouth’" https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/sep/09/marathon-oil-fire-louisiana-cancer-alley (10,000 CHF)
Outstanding Investigative Reporting
1. Yuval Abraham (Israel-Palestine) "Bomb the area, gas the tunnels: Israel’s unbridled war on Gaza’s underground; ‘Order from Amazon’: How tech giants are storing mass data for Israel’s war; Leaked documents expose deep ties between Israeli army and Microsoft" https://www.972mag.com/microsoft-azure-openai-israeli-army-cloud/ https://www.972mag.com/cloud-israeli-army-gaza-amazon-google-microsoft/ https://www.972mag.com/tunnels-hamas-lethal-gas-bombs-gaza/ (100,000 CHF)
2. Gina Marie Barton, Nicholas Steven Penzenstadler, Tricia Nadolny, Jayme Kay Fraser (USA) "Untested: America's rape kit backlog was a national scandal. A decade later, problems persist" https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2024/09/19/doj-rape-kit-testing-program-results/74589312007/ (20,000 CHF)
3. Mariel Mueller (Germany) "Kidneys for cash: Inside a global organ trafficking network" https://www.dw.com/en/inside-a-global-organ-trafficking-network/a-72239158 (10,000 CHF)
For further information contact:
Aidan White, General Director, +44 7946291511