Establishing Journalism Grants and Awards to Encourage High Standards of Reporting in Georgia

In the past few years, media in Georgia have faced numerous obstacles, including growing constraints on freedom of speech, self-censorship, inadequate professionalism, financial instability, and other difficulties. By establishing a journalists scholarship programme and journalism awards to provide crucial support to journalists who persevere in delivering exceptional and ethical work despite the challenges. This initiative would not only recognize their dedication but also inspire others to follow their suit, ultimately contributing to the advancement of what is a vital component of a strong democracy - a resilient and responsible media landscape. The project includes two parts. First, 10 journalists would be chosen as scholarship recipients to support their journalistic activities over a period of 3+ months in different time periods throughout the year. Second, a distinguished panel of 7 (5 from GE and 2 from EE) jury members, appointed by the initiators of the award, will select 3 outstanding authors/journalistic works on a quarterly basis. This means a total of 12 awards will be issued in the course of this project’s one-year lifetime.