A five-member jury announced on December 1 the winners of the 2025 “Srđan Aleksić” Regional Journalism Award, with N1 Serbia among this year’s honorees.

The “Srđan Aleksić” Regional Journalism Award honors professional and socially responsible reporting that brings tangible benefits to people and communities—whether by advancing reconciliation, protecting human rights, supporting marginalized and vulnerable groups, promoting gender equality, rule of law, and dialogue, or by combating hate speech and disinformation—as well as for outstanding journalistic courage.

The jury unanimously decided to award the “Courage” prize to Barbara Matejčić, an independent journalist from Croatia. In the “Community Contribution” category, the jury honored Mila Vukčević, journalist and editor at TVCG, for her documentary film “Brother”, which confronts the Montenegrin public with the dark legacy of the 1990s wars.

In the “Media” category, N1 Serbia stood out for demonstrating over the past year that independent journalism is not a luxury but an essential pillar of democracy in a society under pressure. The jury’s statement reads:

In a society where media freedom and public discourse are constantly under threat, N1 not only documents reality, but creates space for critical reflection, accountability of those in power, and the protection of the public interest. Their professionalism and ethical consistency demonstrate that the media can be the last line of defense of democratic principles — and that is precisely why they deserve this recognition,” the jury members said.

The jury also decided to award this year’s Special Plaque to the Novi Sad group of journalists for their exceptional, dedicated, and solidarity-driven work during the student protests in Serbia.

The awards ceremony will take place on December 6 in Zagreb.

A total of 40 nominations were submitted this year for 33 journalists and seven media outlets. The jury consisted of: Slavica Lukić and Boris Pavelić (Croatia), Ana Hegediš Lalić (Serbia), Vladan Mićunović (Montenegro), and Borislav Kontić (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The award is organized by: the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Banja Luka, the Peacebuilding Network, the Independent Journalists’ Association of Vojvodina, the Institute of Media of Montenegro, and the Croatian Association for the Promotion of Media Culture, Art, and Tolerance “Lupiga – The World Through Ordinary Eyes.”