The competition expands into new areas of journalism with the introduction of four new categories: Interview, Thematic Journalism, Innovation, and Feature Writing
- The Superscrieri Awards, which recognise the best journalism in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, are accepting entries from journalists until January 31, 2026;
- The competition is also open to written materials published in Hungarian in Romanian publications. The articles must be accompanied by a translation of the material into Romanian;
- This year’s competition comprises nine categories: Investigation, Journalistic Debut, Local Press, TV & Video Journalism, Civic Influencers, Interview, Thematic Journalism, Innovation, and Feature Writing. Of these, four categories are new: Interview, Thematic Journalism, Feature Writing, and Innovation;
- Dan Duca, editorial director of HotNews, is the new president of the jury. The jury is joined by Alina Radu, director of Ziarul de Gardă, and Marian Voicu, TVR producer and founder of Veridica, as members;
- Cătălin Moise joins the jury for the Civic Influencers category, dedicated to online content creators who promote social issues;
- Journalistic materials published or broadcast in any print or electronic medium between January 1 and December 31, 2025, are eligible;
- The winners of the Superscrieri Awards will be announced at the awards gala in May.
Bucharest, January 23rd, 2025: The Superscrieri Awards, an event that recognizes excellence in journalism in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, announces the opening of registrations for its 15th anniversary edition. Journalists can register until January 31 by completing the registration form. Journalistic materials published or broadcast in any print or electronic medium between January 1 and December 31, 2025, are eligible. The winners of the Superscrieri Awards will be announced at the awards gala, which will take place in May.
This year’s anniversary edition is held under the slogan “Together we can do more than we think” and aims to highlight how public interest journalism has evolved over the past 15 years and shaped Romanian society.
“The fact that we have reached 15 years is also proof that quality journalism can do more than just subsist, resist, endure (and we could continue the list of synonyms for resilience). That it can develop, that solid media institutions can be built around it, and that their work generates positive changes in society, or at least holds up a mirror to reality, while others – governments, parties, companies, or, surprisingly, even representatives of the law – try to distort it. And not just a few times. I am happy to believe that Superscrieri matters to the profession because it offers a form of recognition that is not based on audience or virality, but on impact, rigor, and responsibility towards readers. We are all preparing, with a mixture of curiosity, confidence, and perhaps fear, to welcome a new colleague to our newsrooms. A colleague who is more intelligent, has much more information, and can write better and faster. However, I believe that AI can be a useful tool, but not a complete substitute for editorial judgment, ethics, or empathy. Not by chance, the new categories proposed this year by the Superscrieri Jury – among them Interview and Thematic Journalism – are significant: they encourage depth, genuine dialogue, and expertise, including within the mainstream press, that is, the press in which some of us still stubbornly choose to “wander,” and which I believe we continue to need,” says Dan Duca, editorial director of HotNews and president of the Superscrieri Awards jury.
Dan Duca is the new president of the Superscrieri Awards jury, following last year’s president, Vlad Stoicescu, a journalist at Dela0. The jury is joined by Alina Radu, director of the publication Ziarul de Gardă, and Marian Voicu, TVR producer and founder of Veridica.
The other members of the jury are: Alina Mărculescu Matiș, Cătălin Striblea, Codruța Simina, Cristian Leonte, Daniel Condurache, Dragoș Pătraru, Emilia Șercan, Irina Păcurariu, Mona Dîrțu, Marius Comper, Mihai Ghiduc, Oana Giurgiu, Paula Herlo, Paul Radu, Robert Schwartz, and Tudor Mușat. For the Civic Influencers category, Cătălin Moise joins the special jury consisting of Monica Jitariuc and Diana Filimon.
In addition to established categories such as Investigation, Local Press, and TV & Video Journalism, this year’s edition introduces four new categories: Interview, Thematic Journalism, Innovation, and Feature Writing.
The Interview category awards extensive interviews, conducted in any format – text, video, or audio – that bring to the fore relevant information or significant statements on topics of public interest. The Thematic Journalism category recognizes the efforts of journalists who consistently and thoroughly document areas such as health, politics, education, culture, economics, sports, social issues, the environment, science, and technology. Each author will select three representative journalistic pieces covering the same field. The Feature Writing category rewards in-depth pieces that offer a nuanced understanding of the reality presented, through the rigorous combination of information and narrative techniques. The Innovation category is dedicated to innovative approaches and new directions or formats in journalism, including symbioses between journalism and technology, the use of artificial intelligence, application development, alternative data collection strategies, and innovative forms of visualization.
The Superscrieri Awards competition is open to all authors who publish in Romanian, in print media, on digital platforms, or in TV/video formats. The Superscrieri Awards continue to encourage authors from the Republic of Moldova who produce impactful material in Romanian. They can enter all categories of the competition, except for the Local Press category.
“For years, there has been a place on the Superscrieri stage for reporters from the Republic of Moldova: a place where good journalists are put in a winning light. The path to this stage is clear: there are only a few days left to submit your applications. Put your best work in your files, especially since there are some new categories,” says Alina Radu, director of Ziarul de Gardă.
There is no limit to the number of entries that can be submitted by a participant. The participation fee is 20 lei for each entry and is payable upon completion of the registration form.
In addition to the prizes awarded in the nine competition categories, special prizes will also be offered (the Jury Prize – the entire amount collected from the competition participation fee, the Overwriting of the Year – 3,000 euros, Readers’ Super Overwrite – 3,000 euros), as well as special encouragement prizes (the “Animal Welfare in Romania” Prize, the “Mental Health in Romania” Prize) and honorary prizes.
“I am honored to join the jury. I have followed Superscrierile since its inception, discovering a new generation of talented, energetic, and unbiased journalists, and I have enjoyed being their colleague. The competition won the trust of the profession from the outset, becoming a brand in itself. Increasingly contested in the age of alternative truths, the profession of journalism is re-legitimized by Superscrieri, reminding us all that the stake of quality journalism is the public good,” ads Marian Voicu, TVR producer and founder of Veridica, member of the Superscrieri jury.
The judging criteria include the quality of the journalism, rigorous documentation from multiple sources, the impact produced or the potential to generate change, the originality of the approach, and the relevance of the subject to the current context. The jury will look at narrative or argumentative coherence, the contribution of new information, the strength of the journalistic approach, and the ability of the materials to bring fresh perspectives on topics of public interest.
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About Superscrieri, the Friends For Friends Foundation (FFFF.RO) program
Superscrieri is the tribute we have been paying since 2011 to authors who, through the power of their writing, originality, honesty, and courage, continue to tell us stories that matter. Authors who believe in the power of well-chosen words show us how things really are, free us from prejudice and stereotypes, move us, enrich us, and protect us from fake news. We gratefully dedicate the Superscrieri awards, scholarships, and seminars to them.
