Vienna unveils the first Robert Hochner Young Talent Prize to Nora Schäffler!

Vienna unveils the first Robert Hochner Young Talent Prize to Nora Schäffler!

The Robert Hochner Young Talent Prize was awarded for the first time on May 27, 2025. The winner, Nora Schäffler, is an editor at the Wiener Zeitung. The jury particularly emphasized her determination, analytical depth and journalistic courage. This new prize, which arose from a cooperation between the ORF and the journalists' union, aims to recognize outstanding achievements by young journalists in the digital space. The award ceremony will take place on June 18, 2025 under the patronage of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.

With prize money of 5,000 euros, the Robert Hochner Young Talent Prize will be awarded in a celebratory setting this year. The jury that decided on the submitted works were prominent personalities from journalism, including Ingrid Brodnig and Paul Vécsei. There were a total of 13 submissions that were of a high standard, particularly in the area of ​​data journalism.

Objective of the price

The Robert Hochner Young Talent Prize is intended to promote the quality, innovative strength and social relevance of online journalism. According to the call for applications, the submitted work should be characterized by critical thinking, courage, high professional competence and social responsibility. The prize commemorates the values ​​of Robert Hochner, who stands for critical thinking, incorruptibility and a critical attitude towards those in power. What is crucial is that the works offer a fact-based view of social power structures.

Journalists up to the age of 27 are eligible to participate, and the submitted work must be published between April 1, 2024 and April 18, 2025. Possible formats include articles, videos, podcasts and blog posts. Submissions had to be uploaded via the dedicated portal by April 26, 2025 at the latest and should be submitted by individuals or editorial teams with a well-founded justification.

Importance of data journalism

The success of the Robert Hochner Young Talent Prize is not least a sign of the growing importance of data journalism in today's media landscape. Companies and organizations collect large amounts of data that are made publicly available through social media. Data journalism is characterized by collecting, examining, evaluating and interpreting data. This places special demands on the rationalization of information processing processes, which are essential in modern reporting. The availability of data on the Internet supports this trend and is seen as the future of journalism.

Overall, the awarding of the Robert Hochner Young Talent Prize shows a strong commitment to supporting young talent in digital journalism and underlines the relevance of data journalism in today's society, which is flooded with information. The jury, consisting of journalism experts, is sure that such awards help to further raise the standards in online journalism.