European Press Prize

What European Press Prize does

European Press Prize is a Dutch non-profit foundation established in 2012 in Amsterdam that operates annual journalism awards recognizing excellence across European media. The organization serves professional journalists and media organizations across 25+ European countries through five core award categories (Investigative Reporting, Distinguished Reporting, Commentator, Innovation, Special Award), supplemented by the European Cartoon Award (launched 2019), the Migration Journalism Award (introduced 2022), and the Public Discourse Award. Winners receive €10,000 prize money and are selected by a 5-person Panel of Judges, with submissions curated via a 20+ member Preparatory Committee spanning European editors.

The foundation is funded by a consortium of 10 media-aligned foundation partners, including The Scott Trust (owner of The Guardian), The Politiken Foundation, Media Development Investment Fund, The Jyllands-Posten Foundation, The Irish Times Trust Limited, Stichting Democratie & Media, Vereniging Veronica, iMEdD, Robert Bosch Stiftung, and Luminate. The organization's GTM motion is event-driven and community-led: annual ceremonies rotate across European cities (Copenhagen, Prague, Tbilisi, Bari), winning articles are translated to English and published on the website, and a dedicated Community Platform (community.europeanpressprize.com) supports ongoing networking among laureates. The Drumscroll platform, developed in 2020, enables immersive virtual ceremony experiences.

The business model is grant-funded foundation operations rather than commercial revenue. The organization is governed by a Board, operates with a small staff of 14 employees based at Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10 in Amsterdam, and is led by Director Jennifer Athanasiou-Prins (announced February 2024), succeeding Thomas van Neerbos. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization's strategic posture is non-profit mission-driven: recognizing and supporting quality journalism in an industry under structural pressure, rather than pursuing commercial returns.

Name

European Press Prize

Legal name

European Press Prize

Website

https://europeanpressprize.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

European Press Prize is a Dutch non-profit foundation that runs annual journalism awards across 25+ European countries, serving professional journalists and media organizations through five award categories plus specialized awards, funded by 10 foundation partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Awards

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Journalism awards
• Media excellence prizes
• Investigative reporting awards
• Editorial cartoons award
• Press freedom recognition

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Prize Foundation Funding: Funded by partner foundations including The Scott Trust, The Politiken Foundation, Media Development Investment Fund, Jyllands-Posten Foundation, Irish Times Trust Limited, Stichting Democratie & Media, Vereniging Veronica, iMEdD, Robert Bosch Stiftung, and Luminate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

European Press Prize is a foundation that operates annual journalism awards recognizing excellence in European journalism across categories including Investigative Reporting, Distinguished Writing, Commentator, Innovation, and Special Award. It awards €10,000 per winning entry, runs sub-awards (European Cartoon Award, Migration Journalism Award, Public Discourse Award), and supports a community platform for laureates.

Product overview

European Press Prize is an awards organization for excellence in journalism, not a technology product company. The organization operates a portfolio of journalism awards including the main European Press Prize Awards (with categories for Investigative Reporting, Distinguished Writing, Commentator, Innovation, and Special Award), the European Cartoon Award, Migration Journalism Award, and Public Discourse Award. Additionally, it operates the European Press Prize Community Platform for networking among journalists, and developed Drumscroll as an interactive virtual ceremony platform in 2020.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• European Cartoon Award: An award recognizing excellence in editorial cartoons across Europe
• Migration Journalism Award

Products and services

• European Press Prize Awards
• European Cartoon Award
• Migration Journalism Award
• Public Discourse Award
• European Press Prize Community Platform
• Drumscroll

Quantifiable outcome

• 13+ years of annual awards
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• iMEdDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriMEdD (Incubator for Media Education and Development) joined as member in 2021. Collaborates on International Journalism Forum and community events.
• International Journalism Festival PerugiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Press Prize partners with the International Journalism Festival for promotional activities and presence at the festival.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Pulitzer Prizes: The Pulitzer Prizes are the canonical U.S. journalism awards, administered by Columbia University, recognizing excellence across multiple categories. They are the most direct functional analog to the European Press Prize's annual multi-category journalism award program.
• Rory Peck Awards: U.K.-based awards recognizing freelance journalists and news coverage of conflict. Shares EPP's model of category-based prizes for journalistic excellence and operates with foundation-style governance.
• George Polk Awards: Long-running U.S. journalism awards administered by Long Island University, recognizing investigative and category-specific reporting. Operates with a similar model of rotating judges and annual recognition for journalistic excellence.
• Overseas Press Club of America Awards: Annual awards recognizing international journalism covering foreign affairs. Comparable as a multi-category journalism award model, though U.S.-based and focused on international reporting rather than European-region reporting.
• European Journalism Centre (EJC): A Netherlands-based foundation supporting journalism innovation, training, and awards across Europe. Functionally comparable to EPP as a foundation distributing funds and recognition to European journalists, with significant overlapping funder networks.
• Bayeux-Calvados-Normandy Award for War Correspondents: A major European journalism award focused on war and conflict reporting, held annually in Bayeux, France. Comparable to EPP as a European-based journalism prize with a rotating ceremony model and multiple recognition categories.
• Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE): U.S.-based journalism association running the annual IRE Awards (and Don Bolles Medal) recognizing investigative reporting. Comparable to EPP's Investigative Reporting category in mission and operational model.
• Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism: European Parliament-backed annual prize for journalism excellence, explicitly pan-European in scope. Directly competes with EPP for European journalism laureates and recognition.

Broad incumbents

• Reporters Without Borders (RSF): Larger global organization focused on press freedom advocacy, with awards programs and grantmaking supporting journalists. Overlaps with EPP in supporting European journalism but operates at a broader advocacy and global scale.
• Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ): Global press freedom organization with award programs (e.g., International Press Freedom Awards) and grantmaking for journalists at risk. Comparable to EPP's grantmaking/foundation model but with a worldwide rather than Europe-only focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/european-press-prize

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about European Press Prize