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The prize - in five categories, each worth 10,000 euros to the winner - was launched by some of Europe's major media foundations to encourage quality journalism in countries across the continent
One of Spain's most famous journalists, Juan Luis Cebrian, founding editor of El Pais in Madrid and now CEO of the giant Prisa media group, is to become a judge of the new European Press Prize as it opens entries for a second year.
The prize - in five categories, each worth 10,000 euros to the winner - is an initiative launched by some of Europe's major media foundations, including Thomson Reuters Foundation, to encourage quality journalism in countries across the continent.
The chairman of the judges is Sir Harold Evans, editor at large for Reuters and former editor of the Sunday Times in London. He leads a judging panel of Yevgenia Albats from the New Times in Moscow, Sylvie Kauffman from Le Monde in Paris, and Joergen Ejboel, former editor of Jyllands Posten in Copenhagen.
Sir Harold Evans said: “The very best in the European journalism our prize honours is exemplified by Juan Luis Cebrian, whom we welcome to our panel. He risked all in the way he roused Spain against the military coup of 1981. His leadership at El Pais is one of the most inspiring demonstrations of the moral energy brought to democracy by honest news reporting, opinion writing of integrity, and sheer, downright enterprise.”
Juan Luis Cebrian said: “Journalism may be in flux, but quality journalism remains the basis of all our democratic freedoms. The foundations behind these prizes are bent on building something that salutes and encourages that quality. It's an honour to be able to help them.”
Entries for the 2013 prize open on September 9 and close on November 29. There are five 10,000 euro categories: investigative reporting, distinguished writing, commentary, innovation and this year, a special judges' prize added. Last year's winners came from Greece, Denmark, Britain and the Ukraine.
The organisations that joined together to begin the prizes are the Stichting Democratie en Media and Veronika foundations in Amsterdam, the Guardian Foundation in London, the JP/Politiken Foundations in Copenhagen, and Thomson Reuters Foundation, together with the Media Development Loan Fund based in Prague.
The judging panel will make its final choices known on March 17 at a special prize-giving ceremony in London. Full entry details are available on the European Press Prize website, www.europeanpressprize.com.
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