The 2023 edition of the European Union’s (EU) Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for in-depth investigative journalism is coming up and professionals from all over the union have submitted their work for a chance at winning the prestigious prize.

12 finalists have been chosen, which means that one team or one singular journalist will leave the ceremony with a €20,000 prize.

The ceremony will be held on 16th October to commemorate the tragic assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia – who was known in Malta for her investigative work.

The prize is given to European journalists for their work on topics of interest resulting from in-depth journalism in an award ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and this year’s list of finalists have worked tirelessly to maintain truth, transparency, and justice in their nations – making them all worthy of the award.

So, here is a list of the finalists for the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism:

1. Roman Anina, Antonio Baquero and others

This team worked with the Netherlands’ Istories.media and it is being recognised for ‘The Rotenberg Files‘ which revealed how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “friends” were able to dodge sanctions with the help of “western enablers.”

2. Markus Becker, Rafael Buschmann, Nicola Naber and others

This team worked with Germany’s Der Spiegel and is being recognised for ‘A Secret Meeting in Suite 412: Inside the European Parliament Corruption Scandal.’ The German newsroom obtained hundreds of documents from the investigation into a corruption scandal where some MEPs were influenced by the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania, engaging in corruption, money laundering and organised crime.

3. Pedro Coelho, Filipe Teles and others

This team worked with Portugal’s Sociedade Independente de Comunicação and it is being recognised for its work ‘Quando o ódio veste farda/When Hate Wears a Uniform’ (Episode 1) – (Episode 2).

4. Stéphane Horel

Horel worked with France’s Le Monde and is being recognised for ‘Revealed: The massive contamination of Europe by PFAS ‘forever chemicals.’ Horel uncovered the existence of thousands of sites contaminated by toxic PFAS chemicals.

5. Martin Lane, Cecilia Anesi, Lorenzo Bagnoli and Tatiana Tkachenko

This team worked with OCCRP in Estonia and is being recognised for ‘Kremlin-Linked Group Arranged Payments to European Politicians to Support Russia’s Annexation of Crimea.’ Leaked emails discovered by the team show how EU politicians who helped push Moscow’s agenda were offered cash and perks.

6. Stavros Malichudis, Iliana Papangeli and Corina Petridi

This team worked with Greece’s Solomon and is being recognised for ‘Under the unwatchful eye of the authorities’ deactivated cameras: dying in the darkest depths of the Mediterranean.’ This team presented the most complete tracing of the course that the fishing vessel Adriana took until it ultimately sank, causing over 600 people to drown − while under the supervision of Greek and European authorities. A document reveals that according to Frontex recommendations, the Coast Guard vessel was obligated to record the operation on video.

7. Joel Matriche, Louis Colart and Kristof Clerix

This team worked with Le Soir and Knack in Belgium and is being recognised for ‘Qatargate, la démocratie européenne attaquée en son cœur.’ The team provided a reconstructed investigation which involved espionage, suitcases of money, and secret meetings at Brussels.

8. Andrés Mourenza, Andrea Giambartolomei, Elena Ledda and others

This team worked with Solomon in Greece and is being recognised for ‘Hawala: The bankers of irregular migration.’ This investigation looked into the absence of legal migratory routes toward Europe which increased the importance of intermediaries that operate through the ‘hawala’ system and serve both as a bank for smugglers and as an insurer for migrants.

9. Caroline Muscat

Muscat worked with The Shift News in Malta and is being recognised for her work ‘Courting Qatar: President invites alleged terrorism financiers to invest in Malta.‘ This was the first in an investigative series on Malta’s dealings with Qatar amid accusations of corruption and gross human rights violations.

10. Yann Philippin, Antton Rouget, Clément Fayol and others

This team worked for Mediapart in France and is being recognised for ‘Abu Dhabi Secrets‘ which reveales the special operations carried out by Alp Services on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. This includes the registration of people or organisations, online influence operations, advocacy with elected officials of the National Rally, and the use of paid journalists.

11. Sandrine Rigaud

Rigaud worked with the Forbidden Stories in France and is being recognised for The Bruno and Dom Project which looks into how one of the “planet’s greatest protections against climate change” – the Amazon rainforest – is being eaten away by the meat industry.

12. Holger Roonema

Roonema worked with Vsquare in Estonia and is being recognised for the ‘Kremlin Papers.’ This uncovered some of Russia’s plans to overturn Moldova.

Which of these investigative pieces do you think is the most groundbreaking?