The European Science Journalist of the Year Award recognises and promotes excellence and innovation in science journalism around Europe.

The award, presented with support from Elsevier, has been managed by EFSJ since 2020. The award season usually starts early in the year, and winners are announced during the European Conference of Science Journalism or at the annual meeting of the Federation.

Work published or broadcast within a calendar year is eligible, and entries are accepted from European science journalism associations (members of EFSJ or the World Federation of Science Journalists WFJS) as well as individuals working in a European country or whose work has been published in European media.

For further guidance on eligibility and rules, please refer to the Award Policy and Guidelines.

Photo by Justin Kniest. From left to right: Domiziana (Elsevier), Lea (finalist) Niki (winner) Krijn (president EFSJ)

The next award season starts in 2024. Follow EFSJ updates in the newsletter and on social media.
For questions, please contact awards@efsj.eu

European Science Journalists of the Year
Niki Korteweg
Niki Korteweg2023 European Science Journalist of the Year
Niki Korteweg is a science journalist for the Dutch major daily newspaper NRC. She won for her stories into anxiety treatments, mRNA, and long covid.
Dániel Bolcsó
Dániel BolcsóFirst runner-up, 2023
Dániel Bolcsó is a journalist and editor at Hungarian news site Telex.hu. He won for his articles into the effectiveness of favipiravir and plasma therapy for covid, and into suspicious dietary supplements.
Lea Udovč
Lea UdovčSecond runner-up, 2023
Lea Udovč is a journalist, science editor and head of the video department at the Slovenian press agency (STA). She won for her articles about endometriosis, fusion energy, and lynx conservation.
Ángela Bernardo2022 European Science Journalist of the Year
Ángela is a senior journalist for healthcare at Civio investigative newsroom, in Spain. She won for data-driven investigations on mental health and reproductive healthcare in Europe. She has also published a book-length journalistic work on sexual and gender-based harassment in universities and public research organizations in Spain.
Jelena KalinićFirst runner-up, 2022
Jelena is a freelance science journalist for publications including Voice of America, and blogger at Quantum of Science, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She won for her investigative pieces analysing government complacency on suspect Covid drugs, lax regulation of stem cell therapies, and harassment of science journalists in the Balkans.
Maartje BakkerSecond runner-up, 2022
Maartje is a science desk journalist at newspaper De Volkskrant, in the Netherlands. She won for her impressive inside account of 178 days of two laboratory rhesus macaques who helped test a corona vaccine, and for articles on sea level rise and problems with wind turbine noise in the Netherlands.

Hristio Boytchev2021 European Science Journalist of the Year
Hristio is a Germany-based journalist. He won for reports on the results of an extensive investigation into conflicts of interest in science and medicine.
Polina LosevaFirst runner-up, 2021
Polina is a Russian science journalist at N+1. She won for articles tackling complex questions related to the pandemic and HIV/AIDS.
Cristina da RoldSecond runner-up, 2021
Cristina is an Italian freelance journalist. She won for her COVID-19 reporting at a time when the country was Europe’s pandemic ‘ground-zero’.
Maria Pazi2020 European Science Journalist of the Year
Maria is a science journalist from Russia. With a background in biology, she started her science writing as an editor of a student newspaper of the department of biology in 2015. Since 2017 she has written science news for Russian Reporter, a prominent general interest magazine, and has freelanced for various media outlets.
Mico TatalovicFirst runner-up, 2020
Mico is a news editor at Research Professional News. He splits his time between Croatia and the UK and has worked for New Scientist, Nature, and now Research Fortnight, while also freelancing for various outlets in Europe, US, and Canada. He is an alumnus of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship (MIT).
Stan van PeltSecond runner-up, 2020
Stan is an editor at the University magazine Vox and freelances for a large number of newspapers and magazines, including the main Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. He also gives professional training in science writing to scientists.

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