Award recognizes outstanding work of young journalists across five categories / Foreign correspondent Trey Yingst of Fox News honored with George Weidenfeld Prize for courageous reporting
This year’s award ceremony for the Axel Springer Prize for Young Journalism for the first time honored journalistic works that deal with the subject of artificial intelligence (AI) or were produced with the support of the technology. The newly created category “Future” is one of five categories in which the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology annually awards the best German-language contributions by talented young journalists.
Miriam Krekel, Head of the journalism school at the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology: “The future of journalism is in the hands of our young talents and their remarkable ability to narrate relevant stories in entirely new ways. Their contributions are inspiring examples of creative excellence and journalistic innovation, breaking through the boundaries of traditional journalism. Notably, they impressively demonstrate how AI opens up new possibilities for journalism and assists us in better understanding and conveying complex subjects.”
This year’s awardees can look forward to more than just the distinction of their prizes. Axel Springer is providing them with the special journalistic experience of gaining insights into the newsrooms of its international and national media brands, such as Business Insider, POLITICO, BILD and WELT.
The following young journalists have been awarded the Axel Springer Prize this year:
Future
Dr. Sabrina Patsch
Der Oppenheimer-Moment (The Oppenheimer moment) / Tagesspiegel
The essay explores the parallels between the development of the atomic bomb and the advancement of artificial intelligence. Is humanity on the cusp of another “Oppenheimer moment”? And who bears responsibility for the potentially catastrophic consequences of scientific discoveries – scientists, engineers, politicians, or society as a whole? The takeaway: Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster “Oppenheimer” is more topical than it may initially appear.
Analysis and Background
Charlotte Köhler
625 Gramm Leben (625 grams of life) / GEO
About a person who seeks to push boundaries, tiny humans, and great wonders: When a child is born before the 24th week of pregnancy, its life hangs in balance. Only a handful of doctors worldwide possess the capability to offer these premature infants a chance to survive. In intensive care units, neonatologists operate at the fine line between life and death, balancing the capabilities of medicine and the considerations of ethics. Meanwhile, research teams are dedicated to developing new techniques aimed at ensuring the survival of the smallest among us.
Politics and Business
Sarah Heuberger, Marie Hecht and Jannik Werner
Cashburners: Die Gorillas-Story (Cashburners: The Gorillas Story) / Gründerszene
The podcast “Cashburners: The Gorillas Story” narrates the story of one of Germany’s most thrilling and controversial startups: Gorillas. It features insights from numerous insiders, investors, former staff members and riders associated with the company and offers an unprecedented glimpse into the inner workings of this disruptive enterprise.
Best Team Performance
Alexander Gutsfeld, Simon Garschhammer, Leon Waterkamp, Chris Kalis and Leonhard Pleser
Das Lederhosen Kartell (The Lederhosen Cartel) / Studio Bummens
The podcast series delves into the behind-the-scenes of the Munich Oktoberfest in seven episodes. Each installment examines a different facet of the Wiesn, such as its ties to Munich’s high society or the illicit drug trade – and how hospitality and xenophobia collide in the portrayal of Bavarian conviviality.
At the end of last year, editors-in-chief and heads of department as well as heads of journalism schools had the opportunity to submit nominations for the award categories. In addition, the public was invited to put forward suggestions for the “Best Team Performance” of the year. The recipients of the awards were then determined by an independent jury. In the “Entertainment” category, the audience participated in a live voting during the ceremony to determine the winning entry.
Entertainment
Sara Geisler
War früher alles besser? Oder wirklich alles schlechter? (Was it all better in the past? Or was everything really worse?) / Der Standard
Were things really better in the past? For a week, Sara Geisler traveled back to the 1980s to find out for herself: She swapped laptops for typewriters and cell phones for landlines, ate loads of meat, drove through (West) Berlin in a car with a combustion engine and rang friends’ doorbells without warning. She only met people she would have thought of without Google – and always showed up to meetings wearing shoulder pads.
George Weidenfeld Prize
The George Weidenfeld Prize honors courageous reporting and investigative research on an international scale. It is awarded outside of the regular competition categories and endowed with 10,000 euros. This year, the award was bestowed upon Trey Yingst. The 30-year-old American journalist serves as a foreign correspondent for Fox News, covering the Middle East. His factual reporting on the repercussions of October 7, 2023, for Israel and Gaza has garnered international recognition.
More information about the nominees, awarded entries, and this year’s jury can be found at www.axel-springer-preis.de
About the Axel Springer Prize for Young Journalism
The Axel Springer Prize for Young Journalism was established in 1991 by the media company Axel Springer and the founder’s heirs. It is awarded every year around the birthday of the company founder Axel Springer. It is now administered by the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology, which was established in October 2020 and combines a school of journalism and an innovative program for tech talents, employee upskilling as well as a co-creation area for interdisciplinary partnerships with tech companies. For further information, please visit www.axelspringeracademy.com/en
