Over the past few weeks, investigative journalism has been celebrated in the Western Balkans. Professional juries across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia have gathered to evaluate some of the most compelling investigative journalism pieces. 

The latest to announce the winners of the EU Awards for Investigative Journalism was North Macedonia. The jury, comprising Valentin Neshovski, Sonja Delevska, and Ognjen Zorić, awarded Aleksandar Dimitrievski and Mihail Milosevski from 360 stepeni the first prize for their piece ‘Following Julia’s Footsteps’, an investigation exposing abuse of power at the top of national security and revealing how those tasked with upholding the law misused their positions. 

The first prize for Investigative Journalism in Albania was awarded to Amfora.al’s Geri Emiri and Erjola Azizolli. Jury members Blerjana Bino, Fatjona Mejdini, and Rashela Shehu recognized the investigation ‘The Resort at Monastery Bay Destroying the Archaeological Potential of Butrint Park’, which exposes how profit-driven projects in Albania’s exclusive coastal zones threaten protected areas and erode cultural heritage. The piece reveals how construction companies secured “strategic investor” status despite clear UNESCO rule violations and evidence of archaeological treasures in the area. 

In Montenegro, jury members Lamija Alečković, Marijana Camović Veličković, and Leila Bičakčić crowned Tatjana Ašanin and Nikola Milosavić Aleksić as winners for the second year in a row. Their documentary ‘Target: The State of Relatives’ — different in topic from last year’s ‘Murky Waters’ yet equally of high public interest — investigates how relatives of high-ranking state and local officials from ruling parties obtained well-paid public administration jobs after the 2020 elections. 

BIRN’s Aleksa Tešić and Saša Dragojlo shared the first prize for investigative journalism in Serbia. The jury in Serbia — comprising Aleksandra Nikšić, Milka Tadić Mijović, and Snježana Milivojević — awarded Tešić’s investigation ‘Proven: BIA Hacks Activists’ Phones’, which informs the public about how Serbia’s Security Information Agency (BIA) used Israeli Cellebrite technology to unlock activists’ phones and install domestic spyware. Dragojlo’s ‘From Belgrade to Be’er Sheva: Israeli Military Flights and Million-Euro Weapons Shipments’ traced Serbia’s €23 million arms exports to Israel, uncovering deep-rooted ties in military trade and providing valuable context to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 

In North Macedonia, Saska Cvetkovska, Bojan Stojanovski, Aleksandra Denkovska Gocevska, Trifun Sitnikovski, Aleksandar Janev, and David Ilievski received the second prize for ‘Stolen Lives’, a story uncovering large-scale identity theft and misuse in the fast-loan system. The third prize was awarded to Srgjan Stojancov and Snezana Lupevska Sozen for ‘Krmzov File – An Epic Crime or an Attempt to Take Away His Business’, a TV investigation that uses one man’s case to show how systemic weaknesses can be exploited for personal gain. 

Albania’s Vladimir Karaj and Edmor Hoxhaj shared the second prize for ‘Like Prison: How African Migrant Workers Suffer Exploitation in Albania’, uncovering the exploitation and discrimination faced by African workers. They were also recognized for a piece examining the Independent Qualification Commission (KPK)’s request for a donation from the Kastrati company, exposing how an institution founded to uphold ethics sought sponsorship from a private entity, undermining its own credibility. 

Eriza Kryeziu and Esmeralda Keta received the third prize in Albania for their investigation into the exploitation of women in garment factories—a powerful story highlighting urgent and often overlooked social and economic issues. 

In Montenegro, the second prize was shared between Jovan Nikitović and Ivan Ivanović. Nikitović’s series on the reconstruction of the Museum in Bijelo Polje reveals how a long-awaited cultural revitalization turned into a symbol of bureaucratic failure, poor planning, and neglect of heritage — leaving the museum closed to the public even after four years of work funded by the Ministry of Culture and Media, UNDP, and the Municipality of Bijelo Polje. Meanwhile, ‘Big Brother: Montenegrin Ministry of Interior Acquires Israeli Facial Recognition Software’ by Ivanović uncovers how the Ministry purchased advanced AI surveillance technology from Israel’s AnyVision, despite the absence of a clear legal framework regulating the use of biometric data in public spaces. 

The third prize in Montenegro was awarded to Dejan Milovac and Lazar Grdinić for ‘How a Former ANB Operative Acquired Valuable Assets: A Million for Real Estate and Vehicles’, revealing that the family of retired ANB and Police Directorate official Duško Golubović acquired real estate and luxury cars worth over one million euros within a decade, raising questions about the origin of wealth and the accountability of former security officials. 

The second prize in Serbia was shared between Gordana Andrić, Dragana Prica Kovačević, and Teodora Ćurčić of BIRN Serbia, and Stefan Marković and Jovana Tomić from CINS, for their investigations ‘Domestic Violence Against Children: The Invisible Victims’ and the podcast series ‘Traces’ — particularly the season ‘The Pit’. 

The third prize in Serbia was awarded to Stevan Dojčinović, Bojana Jovanović, Sofija Parojčić, and Dragana Pećo for two investigations: ‘Police Report: Nebojša Stefanović and Marko Parezanović Aided the Šarić Clan’, which reveals links between top officials, the judiciary, and organized crime; and ‘Tešić Uses SNS “Pawns” to Evade Sanctions and Earn Millions of Euros’, which uncovers how political connections enabled a primary arms dealer to circumvent U.S. sanctions. 

We congratulate all the winners on their awards — but most importantly, on their commitment to the truth! As we wait for Kosovo’s awardees to be announced, we are preparing a series of interviews with first-prize winners across the Western Balkans that will be shared on our channels in the coming weeks.