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The investigations “The Kalamata Trap: Hundreds Of Migrants Drown on Their way to Europe”, and “The Gaza family torn apart by IDF snipers from Chicago and Munich” won two out of the three 2026 True Story Awards.
Out of 959 entries from across the globe, the juries have made a preliminary selection of 109 to the shortlist, and finally to just 36 nominees. Ultimately, our collaborative investigations proudly took top honors in two categories:
🏅 The Research Award: Won by “The Gaza family torn apart by IDF snipers from Chicago and Munich”. This investigation is a powerful testament to cross-border journalism, by ARIJ, The Guardian, Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel, ZDF, Der Standard, and De Tijd.
📢 Jury Statement: “Working from very limited visual materials, the reporters reconstructed the events step by step through interviews with survivors, witnesses, and relatives, and through the careful examination of death certificates, medical records, and geolocated images. The result is a moving, rigorous, and beautifully crafted piece of investigative journalism. Created through collaboration across several media platforms, it embodies the highest ideals of investigative journalism: to speak truth to power, to document injustice, and to give voice to those whose suffering is too often erased”.
🏅 The Impact Award: Won by “The Kalamata Trap: Hundreds Of Migrants Drown on Their Way to Europe” by journalist Sameh Ellaboody, in partnership between ARIJ and AlManassa.
📢 Jury Statement: “In a tightly constructed narrative as compelling as a short story, the authors of “Greece’s ‘Heavy’ Industry” manage to document and highlight one variation on the theme of illegal immigration with truly astonishing impact—evidenced by the fact that their work led to the trial of those involved in loss of life in the real world. The piece is exemplary for the depth of research it involves, the pooling of journalistic efforts across borders and over time, and above all its incredible story-telling power.”
Meanwhile, the investigation “ALS: The Sentence” by the Spanish newspaper El País won the award in the Storytelling Category.
The True Story Award recognizes outstanding written reports from reporters worldwide that distinguish themselves through in-depth research, writing quality, and social relevance. Adherence to fundamental journalistic principles is emphasized, and country-specific circumstances are also taken into account. The award is presented in three categories: “Research,” “Storytelling,” and “Impact.”
