The European Commission has named three winners of the 2026 Megalizzi – Niedzielski prize for aspiring journalists and opened a new €3.5 million funding call for media projects on EU cohesion policy.
The prize winners were announced on Wednesday evening at an event in Brussels, the Commission informed in a release on Thursday.
Yoana Kaloyanova, from Bulgaria, received the award for an audio report about a children’s education centre in Plovdiv.
Žan Tone Urbanija, from Slovenia, was recognised for an article on multigenerational centres in the country.
Marie Hartmann, from Germany, won for a video report about climate change adaptation measures, which the Commission said was noted for making complex issues accessible to a wider audience.
New funding call for cohesion policy coverage
The Commission also launched its 10th call for media proposals focused on cohesion policy, a term used for EU programmes that invest in reducing regional economic and social disparities.
The call has a budget of €3.5 million and is open to media outlets, universities and other entities to create independent content on cohesion policy.
Applications will be accepted until 12 January 2027 at 17:00 CET through the EU funding portal.
The Megalizzi – Niedzielski prize commemorates young journalists Antonio Megalizzi and Bartek Orent-Niedzielski, who were killed in the 2018 Strasbourg terrorist attack.
