By Thea Pieridou
Press Officer at the European Parliament Office in Cyprus
May 3, World Press Freedom Day, marked beginning of the application period for the European Parliament journalism prize, established in honour of murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese journalist, blogger and anti-corruption activist who wrote extensively on corruption, money laundering, organized crime, the sale of citizenship and the involvement of members of the Maltese government in the Panama Papers case. After harassment and threats, Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered on October 16, 2017, by the explosion of a bomb placed in her car.
The award therefore seeks to honour great work in the field of journalism that reflects the fundamental values of the EU, such as human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and human rights. The application period (https://daphnejournalismprize.eu/) will last until July 31, 2023, and the award ceremony will take place on October 19, 2023. The prize amounts to €20,000 and will be awarded to journalists or journalistic teams whose works have been published or broadcast by media based in the European Union. The winner will be selected by an independent committee made up of press and civil society representatives from the 27 EU Member States, as well as representatives of Europe's largest journalistic associations. The award and the accompanying prize money are another example of the important support that the European Parliament provides to investigative journalism and the importance it attaches press freedom.
