The Central European Initiative (CEI), in cooperation with the South East European Media Organisation (SEEMO), invites applications for the CEI Award for Outstanding Merits in Journalism, with a focus on investigative journalism because of, as stated here, "the difficult conditions under which journalists are frequently exercising their profession". The award is open to nationals of CEI Member States (Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine) who have acquired, in the last three years, special merits in investigative journalism and who are still active in journalism. The competing journalists should be nominated by individuals/organisations/media companies. Self-nominations are not accepted. All media are accepted: print, broadcast, news agency, or internet.


The winning candidate will receive an award of EUR5,000, offered by the CEI Executive Secretariat, on the occasion of the CEI Journalists' Forum to be held in Poland in September 2009. The winner will be invited to attend the Forum and his/her participation expenses will be covered by the CEI.

Applications should include the following documentation:
1. Application Form
2. Relevant supporting material (e.g. summary of the presentations of the candidate's merits; Curriculum Vitae of the candidate; details of the media which published / broadcast the reports).


Click here for more information and access to an application form in MS Word format.

Click here to read about previous winners.

Press release from SEEMO on May 8 2009; and the CEI website on May 15 2009.