Before you enter
European Press Prize 2026
Before sending in your work, please read this information carefully. If you have any further questions after this, visit the FAQ or send an email to [email protected]. The 2026 edition of the European Press Prize is open for entries until 14 December 2025, 23:59 CET.
A PDF version of the terms and conditions of the European Press Prize can be downloaded here.
Who can enter?
Journalists from all 46 countries of Europe as defined by the Council of Europe and Belarus and Russia are eligible to enter their work. Journalists with a European nationality, working on the European continent, and journalists working for a European media organisation or outlet can submit their work. The work submitted must have a publication date between December 1, 2024 and December 31, 2025.
Our categories
The European Press Prize accepts entries in five categories: Distinguished Reporting, Innovation, Investigative Reporting, Public Discourse and Migration Journalism.
Read all information on the categories here or watch the videos below:
Word count and number of articles
We do not take articles that go beyond 5,000 words into consideration. Articles beyond that limit put a heavy strain on our judging committees.
Please submit only one article per person per category for the categories: Investigative Reporting, Distinguished Reporting, Innovation and Migration Journalism.
For the Public Discourse Award, you can enter up to three pieces per person. If your work is part of a series, you are welcome to mention this in the entry form. If you want to enter multiple different articles for the Public Discourse category, make sure to fill out the application form separately for each piece.
Different types of journalism
Text should be the predominant part of your entry. Our current judging procedure is set up to judge written journalism (with supporting material). This means that we are currently not equipped to judge podcasts, documentaries, movies, TV broadcasts, and other types of journalism that do not have a core of written journalism.
Language of the article
Please submit your article in the language of the original publication. Additionally, please provide an English translation of your article. If you do not have a professional English translation, a basic machine-translated English translation of the article suffices (e.g. from DeepL or Google Translate).
Use of AI
When submitting work for the European Press Prize, applicants agree that they have used AI transparently, ethically, and responsibly.
On behalf of
If you are unable to submit your own work due to safety or logistical restraints, someone else can submit your work on your behalf. At the Bureau, we can also provide assistance. You can contact us at [email protected]
Procedure
If we require additional information about work entered, we will contact you directly to provide any missing information. You can read more about the procedure of the European Press Prize in the timetable and procedure.
Overview (required) fields entry form European Press Prize
Personal information:
First name; Last name; Phone; Email; Country of residence; Nationality; Gender; Year of birth; Bio (max 150 words); Picture; How did you find out about the European Press Prize.
Your project
Award category; Please elaborate on why you believe your work belongs in this category specifically; You intend to enter work for the Innovation Award: please explain what your project’s added value is in an innovative context.
Project title; Short summary of your project (max 250 words); Link to online publication; Methodology (max 250 words); Describe impact of your article (max 250 words); Co-contributor(s) names, email addresses & roles; Publication and media partners.
Project language; Trigger warning; Word count (max word limit 5,000); Publication date.
Article file(s)
Word- or text-based version of the article; PDF of the article (if available); English document translation.
Supporting referee (editor, publisher, assessor or colleague)
First name; Last name; Email; Phone; Function; Company or organisation.
Terms & Conditions
Agreement with terms and conditions