Europe Foundation continues to support civic monitoring and advocacy efforts for more accountable, transparent, and needs-based public policy making in Georgia. As part of its Watchdog Journalism for Change initiative, the Foundation established a Georgia Shining Lights Awards. The competition aims to honor and promote outstanding achievements of Georgia’s investigative journalists who often work in hostile environment to unearth difficult issues, no matter who may be involved in them. This competition, which shares the principles of the Global Shining Light Award, a biennial competition of the Global Investigative Journalism Network, is seeking to acknowledge the work of those journalists and media outlets that have exposed uncomfortable truths; promoted broader societal efforts to seek accountability; or led to other tangible positive changes for citizens of Georgia. To this end, Europe Foundation invites journalists, media outlets, and other interested parties to submit their own investigative stories or to nominate stories developed by others, which have been published during the period of September 30, 2023 to September 1, 2024.

For more information about the Award, download the full text of the Call for Applications below.