Journalistic work has important implications for the functioning and development of democratic society. It is for this reason that the Open Society Fund Prague, in collaboration with its partners, has been holding the Journalism Award contest annually since 2010, publicly recognising high quality journalism work.

The award is unique in that it evaluates specific contributions that the authors and editorial boards themselves enter in different categories. Thus, work by renowned and beginning authors alike can succeed. The entries are evaluated by a jury comprised of respected public figures from the Czech Republic and abroad, providing valuable feedback to the journalists. At the same time they attract the public’s attention to journalistic achievements that capture the issues of today’s society in an interesting way.

In the long run, the competition helps to improve journalistic professionalism and public debate about the state of journalism. It also highlights global trends and the need to develop new tools, such as data journalism. Close cooperation with its namesake competition in the Slovak Republic gives the Journalism Award an international dimension, providing an opportunity to compare journalistic methods and topics that move societies in both countries.