Free Media Awards (formerly: Gerd Bucerius Prize for Free Press in Eastern Europe, ) is the press prizes awarded by the two foundations The Fritt Ord Foundation and the ZEIT-Stiftung.
History and prize consideration
The prize was launched in 2000 by the ZEIT Foundation and was called the Gerd Bucerius Press Prizes for Eastern Europe (). The prize is named after the German politician and journalist Gerd Bucerius. In 2004, after the ZEIT Foundation began cooperation with the organisation Freedom of Expression Foundation (Fritt Ord), the prize was presented jointly.
The prize is awarded to journalists and media in Eastern Europe, who are distinguished by their quality, professionalism and civil courage. Organisations consider nominations after consultation with external experts. Each year, an independent jury selects the winners based on these nominations. Three to five awards are awarded per year.
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
journalist and writer
* Ane Tusvik Bonde — Norwegian senior advisor at the Human Rights House Foundation
* Juri Durkot — Ukrainian journalist and translator
* — Norwegian journalist,
NRK
The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company.
The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...
correspondent
* Martin Paulsen —
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
expert from the
University of Bergen
The University of Bergen () is a public university, public research university in Bergen, Norway. As of 2021, the university had over 4,000 employees and 19,000 students. It was established by an act of parliament in 1946 consolidating several sci ...
* Silvia Stöber — German journalist specialising on Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
newspaper in the German language
* '' Veidas'' — Lithuanian news magazine
* — Russian journalist based in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
2001
*
Zerkalo Nedeli
''Dzerkalo Tyzhnia'' (, ), usually referred to in English as the ''Mirror of the week'', is a Ukrainian online newspaper; it was one of Ukraine's most influential analytical weekly-publisher newspapers, founded in 1994.Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta
''Belorusskaya Delovaya Gazeta'' ('', BDG''; English: "Belarusian Business Newspaper", ) was a business-oriented bi-weekly Russian-language newspaper based in Minsk, Belarus.
Closed by the state authorities, the print version of the newspaper c ...
'' — Belarusian newspaper
* — Russian newspaper
2002
* ''
Novaya Gazeta
''Novaya Gazeta'' (, ) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the Chechen wars, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism i ...
Cristian Tudor Popescu
Cristian Tudor Popescu (; also known as CTP; born 1 October 1956) is a Romanian journalist, essayist, engineer, short-story writer and political commentator. Author of science fiction stories during his youth, he also hosted talk shows for vari ...
—
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
Yulia Latynina
Yulia Leonidovna Latynina (; born 16 June 1966) is an independent journalist, writer, TV and radio host from Russia. She grew famous as a columnist for ''Novaya Gazeta'' and was the most popular host at the Echo of Moscow radio station for years. ...
* '' The New Times'' — Russian magazine
* Chechenskoye obshchestvo () — Russian newspaper
*
BelaPAN
The Belarusian Private News Agency or shortly BelaPAN () is a non-governmental independent Belarusian news agency, one of the main in the country. BelaPAN provides news on politics, economy, and sports from Belarus in Russian, Belarusian and En ...
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
Fatima Tlisova
Fatima Tlis or Tlisova (; born 1966) is a Russian-American investigative journalist, researcher and expert on Russia.
Life in Russia
Fatima Tlis graduated from , Russia, with a Master of Arts degree in Russian language and literature.
Refuge ...
Ukrayinska Pravda
''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...
Caucasian Knot
Caucasian Knot () is an online news site that covers the Caucasus region in English and Russian. It was established in 2001 and Grigory Shvedov is the editor-in-chief.Azerbaijani news agency
* ''
Nasha Niva
''Nasha Niva'' (, lit. "Our field") is one of the oldest Belarusian weekly newspapers, founded in 1906 and re-established in 1991. ''Nasha Niva'' became a cultural symbol, due to the newspaper's importance as a publisher of Belarusian literature ...
'' — Belarusian newspaper
* CDMAG or CDMag — Belarusian media project
2008
* '' The New Times'' — Russian magazine
* ''Moy gorod bez tsenzury'' () — Russian weekly newspaper
* Victoria Ivleva — Russian photojournalist and correspondent
* Elena Larionova () — Russian journalist
* ''
Hazeta Slonimskaya
''Hazeta Slonimskaya'' (Belarusian: Газета Слонімская; Russian: Газета Слонимская; 7,000 to 8,000 copies) is an independent local Belarusian newspaper. It was published in Slonim, Belarus.
In November 2020, the pub ...
Rauf Mirgadirov
Rauf Habibulla oghlu Mirgadirov (; born 1961) is an Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani columnist and journalist. He has worked for the Baku based Russian-language newspaper ''Zerkalo''. A believer in "citizen diplomacy" between Armenia and Azerbaija ...
— Azerbaijani journalist
2009
* Roman Shleinov — Russian journalist of the newspaper ''
Novaya Gazeta
''Novaya Gazeta'' (, ) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the Chechen wars, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism i ...
''
*
Zoya Svetova
Zoya Feliksovna Svetova (; born March 17, 1959) is a Russian journalist and human rights defender, producer, author of the documentary novel ''Innocent Found Guilty ('').
Biography
In 1982 she graduated from the Maurice Thorez Moscow State ...
— Russian journalist based in Moscow
* ''
Novy Chas
''Novy Chas'' ( ; ''New Time'' in English) is an independent weekly newspaper published in Belarus.
History and profile
''Novy Chas'' was established on 1 March 2007 as a successor to ''Zgoda (newspaper), Zgoda'' which was shut down in 2007. The ...
'' — newspaper of the city of
Minsk
Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
journalist
* ''Azadliq'' — Azerbaijani daily newspaper
* Natik Javadli — journalist of the newspaper
2010
*
Mikhail Beketov
Mikhail Vasilyevich Beketov (; 10 January 1958 – 8 April 2013) was a Russian journalist who came to widespread attention when he was attacked in an assault thought to be connected with his coverage of the planned destruction of the Khimki Fore ...
— journalist of the newspaper ''Khimkinskaya Pravda'' ()
*
Arsenyevskiye Vesti
Arsenyevskiye Vesti () is an independent socio-political and human rights weekly newspaper of the Primorsky Krai.
It was originally registered in Arsenyev in 1992, but after the refusal of the Arsenyev printing house to print materials, it was for ...
— the newspaper of the city of
Vladivostok
Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...
, Russia
* ''Borisovskie novosti'' () — newspaper of the city of
Barysaw
Barysaw or Borisov (, ; , ) is a city in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Barysaw District. It is located on the Berezina, Berezina River and north-east from the capital Minsk. As of 2025, it has a population of 1 ...
, Belarus
* ''Liberali'' — Georgian magazine
* — Azerbaijani journalist
* — Azerbaijani network television
*
Edik Baghdasaryan
Edik Baghdasaryan () is a prominent investigative journalist known for his stories exposing government corruption in Armenia. He is the head of the Armenian Association of Investigative Journalists and editor of Armenia's only investigative jou ...
— Armenian journalist
2011
* ''
Chernovik
''Chernovik'' ( for "Rough Draft") is a weekly newspaper published by Svoboda Slova (translated as "Freedom of Speech") and based in the Republic of Dagestan, North Caucasus region, Russia. Reporters Without Borders has described it as "Dagestan's ...
'' — Dagestan weekly newspaper
* Natalya Ivanishina — journalist of the newspaper ''Ust-Ilimskaya Pravda'' ()
* Marina Koktysh — journalist of the newspaper ''
Narodnaya Volya
Narodnaya Volya () was a late 19th-century revolutionary socialist political organization operating in the Russian Empire, which conducted assassinations of government officials in an attempt to overthrow the autocratic Tsarist system. The org ...
''
* — journalist of the Internet media
* — Azerbaijani journalist
*
A1plus
Alplus or A1+ () is an independent Armenian media network. Until 2002, it had a TV channel which was closed by the government of Robert Kocharyan
Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the Pres ...
Echo of Moscow
Echo of Moscow () was a 24/7 commercial Russian radio station based in Moscow. It broadcast in many Russian cities, some of the former Soviet republics (through partnerships with local radio stations), and via the Internet. From 1996 its editor- ...
and columnist for ''The New Times''
* magazine — Caucasian independent magazine
* — editor-in-chief of the Gramadzyanskaya Alternative magazine and leading columnist for the Svobodnye novosti plus newspaper
* ''
The Ukrainian Week
''The Ukrainian Week'' (, ) is an illustrated weekly magazine and news outlet covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides a range of analysis, opinion, interviews, feature p ...
'' magazine
*
Khadija Ismayilova
Khadija Rovshan qizi Ismayilova (, ; born 27 May 1976), alternatively spelled Ismailova, is an Azerbaijani investigative journalist and radio host who is currently working for the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, until re ...
— Azerbaijani journalist
2013
*
Elena Kostyuchenko
Elena Gennadyevna Kostyuchenko (; born 25 September 1987, Yaroslavl, Russia) is a Russian journalist and gay rights activist in exile. She is an investigative reporter for the newspaper ''Novaya Gazeta''.
Kostyuchenko was the first journalist to ...
— special correspondent of the information department of ''
Novaya Gazeta
''Novaya Gazeta'' (, ) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the Chechen wars, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism i ...
''
* — chief editor of the online portal
* — socio-political weekly newspaper
*
Serhiy Leshchenko
Serhiy Leshchenko (, 30 August, 1980) is a Ukrainian ex-journalist, politician and public figure, Member of Parliament ( 8th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada). From 2002 until 2014, Leshchenko worked as a Deputy Editor-in-Chief and as a special cor ...
— Ukrainian political journalist
* — Azerbaijani journalist
*
Mehman Huseynov
Mehman Huseynov (born 24 November 1989) is an Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist. He was imprisoned from 2017-2019.
Huseynov edits ''SANCAQ'', a socio-political magazine, which uses social media. He also chaired the Institute for ...
— Azerbaijani journalist
2014
* — Russian journalist
*
TV Rain
TV Rain ( rus, Дождь, Dozhd, p=ˈdoʂtʲ, a=Ru-дождь (doʂtʲ).ogg; stylized as ДО///ДЬ) is an independent Russian-language television channel. Launched in Russia in 2010, it has been based in the Netherlands since 2022. It focuse ...
— Russian independent channel
*
Tetiana Chornovol
Tetiana Mykolaivna Chornovol (; born 4 June 1979) is a Ukrainian journalist and civic activist, and one of the leaders in the Euromaidan protest campaign. She is known for investigative reports about corruption in Ukraine, as well as for her ...
— Ukrainian journalist
* — Ukrainian journalist
*
Mustafa Nayyem
Mustafa Masi Nayyem (, ; born June 28, 1981) is an Afghan- Ukrainian journalist, MP, lecturer at the Kyiv School of Economics, and public figure who was influential in sparking the Euromaidan in Ukraine. Since January 2023 Nayyem had been the hea ...
— Ukrainian journalist
* Alexander Klaskovsky () — Belarusian journalist
* Objective TV — Azerbaijani internet channel
* Epress.am — Armenian news portal
2015
* Netgazeti — Georgian news portal
* — Ukrainian journalist and editor-in-chief of the online newspaper Ostro V
* — Ukrainian news agency
* — Ukrainian journalist
* — Russian regional socio-political newspaper
*
Galina Timchenko
Galina Viktorovna Timchenko (; born 8 May 1962) is a Russian-born Latvian journalist and the CEO, publisher and owner of ''Meduza''.
Early life and education
Timchenko was born in Moscow on 8 May 1962. She graduated from the 3rd Moscow Medical ...
— Russian journalist, editor-in-chief and the founder of the ''
Meduza
''Meduza'' (Russian: Медуза, named after the Greek goddess Medusa) is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga, Latvia. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent ...
'' newspaper
2016
* (Our Money) — Ukrainian website
*
Elena Milashina
Elena Valeryevna Milashina (; born 1977) is a Russian investigative journalist for ''Novaya Gazeta.'' She has received multiple awards for her work.
Milashina has been threatened and attacked over her work multiple times over the course of mor ...
— Russian journalist
* Seymur Hazi — Azerbaijani editor and commentator
2017
* — Russian caricature artist
* — Russian journalist
* Zaruhi Mejlumyan — Armenian journalist
* Meydan TV — Azerbaijani media organisation
2018
* ''
Belarusian Partisan
''Belarusian Partizan'' () is a Belarusian Internet newspaper, founded in 2005 by the journalist Pavel Sheremet. It is published mainly in Russian and Belarusian.
On December 14, 2017 Belarusian Partisan was blocked by the Belarus Ministry of ...
'' — Belarusian newspaper
* — Russian newspaper
* Chai Khana — Georgian media platform
CivilNet
The Civilitas Foundation () is an Armenian non-profit organization based in Yerevan, and established in October 2008 by Armenia's former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vartan Oskanian. It is a development agency and think tank currently directed ...
— Armenian media platform
* 7x7 — Russian regional online newspaper and blog
Proekt
Proekt () is an independent Russian media outlet specialising in investigative journalism. In 2021, Proekt was relaunched as Agentstvo (), but restored its original name in 2022, while Agentstvo became a news website.
History and activities
S ...
— Russian media outlet
* Aziz Karimov — Azerbaijani journalist
* Stanislav Aseyev — Ukrainian journalist
* ''Schemes'' () — broadcast on Ukrainian television
TUT.BY
Tut.By was an independent news, media and service internet portal, one of the five most popular websites in Belarus, operating predominantly in Russian and partially in Belarusian languages, and the most popular news web portal in the country. A ...
*
Katsyaryna Andreeva
Katsyaryna Andreeva (; ; real name: Katsyaryna Andreevna Bakhvalava; ; born November 2, 1993) is a Belarusian journalist. She worked for the television network Belsat TV. She broadcast the event from the Square of Changes in Minsk where Raman Ban ...
– Belarusian journalist of
Belsat TV
Belsat (; ; stylised as B☰LSAT) is a Polish free-to-air terrestrial and satellite television channel aimed at Belarus. The channel is a subsidiary of Telewizja Polska, TVP S.A. From the outset, it has been co-funded by the Ministry of Foreign ...
*
Darya Chultsova
Darya Chultsova ( Belarusian: Дар’я Дзмітрыеўна Чульцова, Russian: Дарья Дмитриевна Чульцова) (born on 20 February 1997, in Shklow, Mogilev Region, Belarus) is a journalist from Belarus. She worked ...
– Belarusian journalist of
Belsat TV
Belsat (; ; stylised as B☰LSAT) is a Polish free-to-air terrestrial and satellite television channel aimed at Belarus. The channel is a subsidiary of Telewizja Polska, TVP S.A. From the outset, it has been co-funded by the Ministry of Foreign ...
* Natallia Lubneuskaya – Belarusian journalist of
Nasha Niva
''Nasha Niva'' (, lit. "Our field") is one of the oldest Belarusian weekly newspapers, founded in 1906 and re-established in 1991. ''Nasha Niva'' became a cultural symbol, due to the newspaper's importance as a publisher of Belarusian literature ...
*
TUT.BY
Tut.By was an independent news, media and service internet portal, one of the five most popular websites in Belarus, operating predominantly in Russian and partially in Belarusian languages, and the most popular news web portal in the country. A ...
– Belarusian media outlet
*
Belarusian Association of Journalists
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) (; ) is a Belarusian professional association of journalists from independent media, created in 1995 to protect freedom of speech, freedom of information, promote the professional standards of journ ...
Nataliya Gumenyuk
Nataliya Petrivna Gumenyuk (; alternate Romanization of Ukrainian, Romanization: Natalia Humeniuk; born 1983) is a Ukrainian journalist and author specializing in foreign affairs and conflict reporting. She is a co-founder and CEO of the Public Int ...
- Ukrainian journalist and author
* Andriy Dubchak - Ukrainian photo and video reporter
* Vladyslav Yesypenko - Ukrainian journalist and political prisoner on Russian-occupied Crimea
* Zaborona - Ukrainian online newspaper"Zaborona Becomes a Laureate of the Free Media Awards 2022 Zaborona, 19 August 2022
OC Media
OC Media (Open Caucasus Media) is an independent English-language online news platform covering the North and South Caucasus regions.
Overview
OC Media is a Tbilisi-based website founded in 2017 by journalists Mariam Nikuradze and Dominik K. ...
*
iStories
iStories or Important Stories () is an independent Russian website specialising in investigative journalism. The website was founded in 2020 by Russian journalists Roman Anin and Olesya Shmagun. IStories published a number of high-profile inve ...