Our journalism wins awards

In the run-up to the Dutch parliamentary elections, the leaders of the seven largest political parties each curated their own page in the printed newspaper.

Ali Niknam, CEO of online bank bunq, pushes his mostly young employees to the limit. This led to an in-depth investigation and a widely discussed article on the “Ali method”, where Niknam defended his approach in a broader societal debate on success and employee well-being.

Creator: Stijn Bronzwaer

Recognition for the Alternative Investment edition of Luxembourg Times Magazine, highlighting its high quality and creativity, as well as the passion and dedication invested in each issue.

Creators: Christian Mertes and the Luxembourg Times team

The ultimate recognition for the newspaper’s design, both in print and digital.

Creators: NRC Design Team

In May 2023, the asylum crisis in Ter Apel peaked, with asylum seekers forced to sleep in waiting rooms. Since then, pressure on the Groningen asylum centre has been immense, while the rest of the Netherlands seems to look away.

Creator: Maaike Borst

“Olhem para nós” (“Look at us”) tells the story of people sleeping on the streets of Luxembourg City, weeks after the city council introduced a ban on begging.

Creators: Ricardo Rodrigues (Contacto) and Marc Wilwert (Luxemburger Wort)

Thousands of people saw their mortgages transferred to vulture funds and were denied access to the state’s financial ombudsman. The article investigating the story led to a change in legislation.

Creator: Charlie Weston

Who still wants to teach? To answer that question, Patricia Veldhuis – then an education reporter, now NRC’s editor-in-chief – taught Dutch at a high school for a year. Her experiences were sometimes intense, in both the classroom and the teachers’ lounge.

Creator: Patricia Veldhuis

The heartbreaking story of Ergin Kuccuk in the aftermath of the 2023 Turkish earthquake.

Creator: Stephen Fernane

Creator: Dónal Lynch

Patient number 935: Gemma Venhuizen received this award for her personal account of the major heart surgery she underwent due to an enlarged aorta.

Creator: Gemma Venhuizen

“It was degrading” tells the story of Justyna Maslanka, a woman from Dublin who was involuntarily admitted to two public hospitals in the city, one of which has since closed. She describes how the conditions there “undermined her dignity”.

Creator: Eilish O’Regan

The Centre for Environmental Sciences at UHasselt coordinated a large-scale citizen research project that mapped soil quality in Limburg. After a call in Het Belang van Limburg, more than 5,000 people signed up to participate. The newspaper presented the research results in a series of articles in early 2024.

Gert Regterschot, a former lecturer at TU Eindhoven, has been providing unpaid supplemental education since his dismissal in 1995. Under a staircase on campus, he helps students with complex technical subjects, boosting their confidence while hoping for recognition and compensation for his years of work.

Creator: Denise Retera

The Stories app from Dagblad van het Noorden, Leeuwarder Courant and Friesch Dagblad received an honourable mention for the innovative way it showcases the eight best stories in a striking display: full-screen, featuring great photography and/or video, in a vertically scrolling carousel.

An investigative report revealed how multiple female footballers were subjected to unwanted or inappropriate sexual advances by coaches in the 1990s.

Creator: Mark Tighe and Marie Crowe

Recognised for its reporting on the environmental crisis in Lough Neagh and the Killing Edgar podcast, which explores the IRA murder of Edgar Graham.

Creator: Sam McBride

Lost in Europe, an investigation conducted with journalists from Knack and VRT NWS, revealed that more than 51,000 unaccompanied minor migrants went missing in Europe between 2021 and 2023.

Creators: Roeland Termote and Wouter Woussen

Awarded for an article about Google, which was forced to stop informing publishers about decisions regarding the right to be forgotten.

Creator: Shane Phelan

For the Blind Courage front page, which tells the shocking story of a mother from Craigavon who stood up to a gang leader after he left her blind in a brutal attack.

Creator: Mark Condren

Creator: Cathal Dennehy

The cartoon “Autopsie Navalny” by Steven “Lectrr” Degryse was a comment on the death of Russian politician and activist Alexei Navalny.

Creator: Steven Degryse (Lectrr)