I am delighted with the results of the first EU Health Prize for journalists. Out of almost 500 articles we received, 27 were short listed to compete for the EU level Prize. After a tough choice by the EU jury, I was happy to award three outstanding articles as the winner and two runners-up of the competition.
The three journalists, Estelle Saget (L'Express, France – 1st place), Audre Srebaliene (Savaitinis žurnalas, Lithuania – 2nd place) and Emilia Chiscop (Ziarul de Iasi, Romania – 3rd place), wrote about topics that are not easy to deal with - mental illness and bone marrow donation. Their articles show us that good health journalism is not only informative, but it can also touch us emotionally and, very importantly, can give us ways of coping with very challenging health issues. Health journalism can make a difference by empowering people to take care of their own health and to help those around them.
The success of this prize is shared not only with the winners and the journalists who contributed, but also with the hard work and dedication of the 27 national juries and the EU jury. The breadth and depth of the submissions reflect the immense interest in health issues across Europe.
Working together on health at EU level; sharing expertise and best practice, collecting information and identifying areas for common action are essential. The media is an important partner in this endeavor and this prize contributes to this process.
I hope that the results of the first EU health prize for journalists will stimulate more journalists to write about health issues and bring further awareness about the great opportunities and challenges that face us in health matters today and in the future.
List the shortlisted articles
