Fetisov Journalism Awards

Event

22.04.2024

Fetisov Journalism Awards 2023: Winners announced!

April 22nd, 2024

The Fetisov Journalism Awards, that celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, announced the 2023 winners.

Gala celebration of the richest prize in world journalism is presented in CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel, Istanbul.

The shortlist for the Fetisov Journalism Awards 2023 consists of 26 stories representing journalists from 20 countries around the world. Almost half of the shortlisted entries are team projects, including 3 cross-border investigations.

About 400 entries from 96 countries were submitted to this year's competition. In the five years since the Fetisov Journalism Awards were founded, journalists from 137 countries entered the competition.

The Awards were launched five years ago by billionaire philanthropist and businessman Gleb Fetisov, whose family Foundation sponsors the Awards with an annual prize fund of 520,000 Swiss francs.

“It is wonderful to be holding this celebration of excellence in journalism in Istanbul,” said Gleb Fetisov. “Istanbul is a city with a magical story steeped in history, creativity and culture. It is also a dynamic news centre and the perfect place to pay tribute to some of the world’s best reporting.”

The winners in the four categories who each receive a first prize of 100,000 Swiss francs, are as follows:

Outstanding Investigative Reporting:

Hannah Dreier (USA)

Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.

Journalism at its best can change the world, and Hannah Drier shows the way. Her story reveals how vulnerable migrant children – some as young as 12 years old – suffer exploitation, even in the world’s richest democracy Hannah spent a year travelling the country reporting on how migrant children, who travel to the US without their parents, end up in dangerous jobs making products for big-name brands such as Ford Motors and Cheerios. The story created an outcry and immediate action. After publication the President announced a special task force, government policy changes and significant new support for lone migrant children.

Excellence in Environmental Journalism:

Christian Salewski, Sebastian Kempkens, Greta Taubert (Germany)

What’s Really in It?

Style, brands and iconic logos are selling points for fashionable sportswear but, as this stunning report reveals, behind the glamour there are sometimes hidden truths that tarnish even the biggest names. For six months the team tested the “environmentally friendly” boasts of sports giant Adidas, which claimed its signature product – the German national team’s World Cup jersey – was made of yarn containing Parley Ocean Plastic a trusted alternative to traditional materials. However, the journalists proved this was a lie. They spoke to dozens of experts, travelled to exotic production centres in Asia and delivered hard evidence that forced Adidas to own up to its false claims.

Contribution to Civil Rights:

Anna-Catherine Brigida (United States)

How Surveillance Tech Helped Protect Power — and the Drug Trade — in Honduras

The former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez was last month convicted and jailed in the US for drug running. His conviction is a victory for democracy. It also validates the courageous work of Anna-Catherine Brigida who exposed how, when in power, Orlando Hernandez designed a system of surveillance technology to protect criminal drug traders at the expense of civil liberties and the people’s right to protest. This is a master class in public-interest journalism, exposing a web of political, corporate and criminal links and involving months of research and interviews with activists and protesters who were attacked and harassed.

Outstanding Contribution to Peace:

Hadeel Arja (Turkey)

The Shocking Practice of “Forced Puberty” in Northern Syria’s Refugee Camps

Women of all ages are potential victims in times of war, but sometimes those threats are close to home. The practice of drug-induced forced-puberty in Syria, for example, is linked to misplaced parental pressure and child marriage. In a two-year assignment involving moving interviews and meticulous research, Hadeel Arja exposed this shocking practice. She found herself in the firing line and subject to official pressure, but she refused to be silenced. Her resilience and courageous work brought a taboo subject out into the open and has contributed to saving the lives of a generation of vulnerable young girls in her homeland.

Runners-up in the four categories are as follows: