The Megalizzi – Niedzielski prize for aspiring journalists

The Megalizzi – Niedzielski prize honours the legacy of Antonio Megalizzi and Bartek Orent-Niedzielski, who were killed during the terror attacks in Strasbourg in 2018, by recognising aspiring journalists that show a strong attachment to the EU and its values.

The 2026 winners are:

• Yoana Kaloyanova from Bulgaria, who demonstrated exceptional creativity in her submission and received the prize for her engaging audio report on a children’s education centre in Plovdiv.
• Žan Tone Urbanija from Slovenia, with his empathetic article on multigenerational centres in Slovenia, written with journalistic rigour and integrity.
• Marie Hartmann from Germany, for her strong ability to translate complexity into plain language, accessible to a wider audience, with her video report on climate change adaptation measures.

The other finalists in the competition for the Megalizzi-Niedzielski prize 2026 were Ágnes Tárnoki (Hungary), Leonie Hartge (Germany), Paul Le Quément (France), Tiziana Albanese (Italy), Tudor-Andrei Vieriu (Romania) and Yelyzaveta Andrukhova (Ukraine).

The prize is awarded during the EU Regions’ Week to outstanding journalistic talents from the participants of the Youth4Regions programme for aspiring journalists.

Youth4Regions programme for aspiring journalists.