MJA34 – Finalists list and Jury report

Environment and Planning Journalism

1. Amphora Media.
   1. Julian Bonnici, Daiva Repeckaite u Sabrina Zammit
   1. Profit in Every Drop: The Companies Pumping Malta’s Groundwater
2. Times of Malta
   1. Mark Laurence Zammit
   1. How proposed planning laws could change the face of Malta
3. Joanna Demarco
   1. Cruise ships plugged in Grand Harbour Onshore Power Supply Only 9% of Time in First year.

Business journalism

1. Amphora Media
   1. Julian Bonnici, Daiva Repeckaite u Sabrina Zammit
   2. Malta’s AirBarons: How A Handful Dominate Malta’s Multi-Million Euro Short-Let Market
2. Times of Malta
   1. Jacob Borg
   2. What are the criminal accusations faced by CrediaBank’s shareholder?
3. Jon Mallia
   1. Interview with Marisa Xuereb

Crime & legal affairs

1. Amphora Media
   1. Julian Bonnici, Daiva Repeckaite u Sabrina Zammit
   1. Bill 142: The law allowing tax crime, fraud and money laundering to be settled out of court
2. MaltaToday
   1. Karl Azzopardi
   1. Cutting up Malta’s cocaine trade
3. Times of Malta
   1. Daniel Ellul
   1. Silence in Gozo after priest brokered payment to alleged rape victim’s family

Art & culture journalism

1. Newsbook
   1. Gabriel Lia
   1. Jiena ma nħossnix inferjuri għax nitħaddet bid-djalett
2. Times of Malta
   1. Emma Brownrigg Fenech
   1. Rehearsal costs are pricing out artists
3. Media.link Communications
   1. Noel D’Anastas
   1. 250 sena mir-Rewwixta tal-Qassisin: Il-ġrajja skont id-dokumenti fl-Arkivji Nazzjonali

Specialist Journalism

1. Times of Malta
   1. More than 200,000 words, read 5 million times
2. Amphora Media
   1. Julian Bonnici, Daiva Repeckaite, Sabrina Zammit
   1. Open Malta: A Data Transparency Platform
3. Times of Malta
   1. Daniel Ellul
   1. A part-time board has left 5,000 foreign workers without rights

Best use of Maltese Language

1. It-Torċa
   1. Victor Vella
   1. Spiss inħossuna umiljati… u bla valur… bla dinjita

Journalism that Promotes the Rights of Persons with Disability

1. The Malta Independent
   1. Semira Shalan
   1. Left in the dark’: parents of children with severe disabilities slam silence over school transition
2. Newsbook Malta
   1. Christine Mamo
   1. Inviżibbli, imma reali: Il-ħajja, l-uġigħ u l-ġlieda għar-rikonoxximent
3. Times of Malta
   1. Claudia Calleja
   1. Gozo man ‘stranded’ after fast ferry refuses guide dog – on world disability day

Political journalism

1. Amphora Media
   1. Julian Bonnici, Daiva Repeckaite u Sabrina Zammit
   1. 15 Years of Public Procurement under Gonzi, Muscat and Abela.
2. Times of Malta
   1. Jacob Borg
   1. Top ‘Maltese’ Donald Trump aide actually born in Soviet Union
3. MaltaToday
   1. Juliana Zammit
   1. Betting on democracy: How prediction markets are pricing Malta’s election.

Sports journalism

1. Times of Malta
   1. Valhmor Camilleri
   1. Integrity, or the lack of it, in Maltese sport
2. Net Media
   1. Christian Micallef
   1. Fottejtek: the shocking wake-up call for Maltese football
3. The Malta Independent
   1. Kyle Patrick Camilleri
   1. Malta must strengthen homegrown player quota to improve local football, says football coach

Sports photojournalism

1. Net Media
   1. Terry Caselli
   1. Victory
2. Reuters
   1. Darrin Zammit Lupi
   1. Flares in Ta’ Qali
3. IMAGO
   1. Domenic Aquilina
   1. Faith Beyond Victory

Photojournalism

1. Times of Malta
   1. Matthew Mirabelli
   1. Sunset petards light up the sky in Għargħur
2. Reuters
   1. Darrin Zammit Lupi
   1. Valletta power cut
3. Newsbook Malta
   1. Neil Camilleri
   1. All hope lost

Best use of video

1. Times of Malta
   1. Antoine Farrugia Lauri
   1. Fortina Deal Explainer
2. Times of Malta
   1. Mark Laurence Zammit
   1. Jason Micallef visits Ta’ Qali amid gravelgate
3. Newsbook Malta
   1. Neil Camilleri, Miguela Xuereb
   1. It-tanker Russu jersaq iktar qrib Malta

Best podcast episode         

1. Times of Malta
   1. Mark Laurence Zammit, Clara Farrugia
   1. Times Talk: The trial of Yorgen Fenech
2. Jon Mallia Podcast
   1. Interview with Marisa Xuereb

Features journalism (Human interest story)

1. Joanna Demarco
   1. A future on hold
2. Times of Malta
   1. Mark Laurence Zammit
   1. Priest told us, ‘Forgive and don’t report sexual abuse’
3. Times of Malta
   1. Giulia Magri
   1. He was told his Sliema sweetheart was dead. 40 years later he found her alive

Interview of the Year

1. Times of Malta
   1. Mark Laurence Zammit
   1. ‘My dad killed my mum’
2. Il-Każin
   1. Interview with Alex Borg
3. The Malta Independent
   1. Albert Galea
   1. Mario de Marco on a life in politics

Scoop of the Year

1. Times of Malta
   1. Bertrand Borg, Neville Borg, Mark Laurence Zammit
   1. A judge’s shock letter leaves ministers stunned.
2. Times of Malta
   1. Jacob Borg
   1. Top ‘Maltese’ Donald Trump aide actually born in Soviet Union
3. The Malta Independent
   1. Yasmin Mifsud
   1. From nail salons to Tiktok: Malta’s underground trade in an unapproved weight-loss jab exposed

Best Investigation

1. Times of Malta
   1. Jacob Borg
   1. Galdes family link to housing contractor raised red flags
2. MaltaToday
   1. Matthew Farrugia and Juliana Zammit
   1. Tourist short-lets are a hive of illegality
3. MaltaToday
   1. Karl Azzopardi
   1. Obscure crypto marketing firm DistributeX feels like a Ponzi scheme

Upcoming Journalist

1. Kyle Patrick Camilleri
2. Jaelle Borg
3. Emma Brownrigg Fenech

The Gold Award was awarded posthumously to Ġorġ Mallia

The Best Cartoon and Best Comment Journalism prizes were not awarded.

The jury for this year’s awards consisted of Kurt Borg, Karl Schembri, Marisa Xuereb, Claire Noble and Juliane Hielscher. In categories where a member was the interviewee, the member with the conflict did not take part in discussions on any submissions in that category.

The jury report can be read below.