Lower Austrian Journalism Prize: Departure into the energy future!

Lower Austrian Journalism Prize: Departure into the energy future!

Atomkraftwerk Zwentendorf, Niederösterreich, Österreich - On June 3, 2025, the ceremonial award of the Lower Austrian Journalism Award took place in the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant. The award is advertised by the "Association for the Promotion of Journalism in Lower Austria" and aims to award outstanding journalistic achievements. This year the topic of the submissions was: "Smartphones, electric cars and bitcoins-how do we cover the electricity needs of the future?"

The jury, chaired by Georg Wailand, rated the contributions and chose the award winners. The first place went to Anna Mayr, who was awarded 4,000 euros. Tobias Mayr took second place and received 3,000 euros, while Anna Kindlmann and Ines Otenschläger shared third place and each received 1,000 euros. In her speech, Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner emphasized the responsibility of the media for democracy, while Daniel Lohninger, chairman of the association, emphasized the support of young journalists.

promotion of journalism

The Association for the Promotion of Journalism in Lower Austria not only awards prices, but also offers scholarships and a practice -oriented training program. Journalists from the EU who are not older than 30 years and have a maximum of five years of professional experience are eligible to participate. These initiatives aim to promote young young people in journalism and to offer them a platform.

As part of the award ceremony, there was also a discussion round on the subject of "Alternative energies, climate change and media". Several editors and a former scholarship holder of the association took part in this discussion, which underlined the exchange about current challenges in journalism.

journalism prices at a glance

The Lower Austrian Journalism Prize is part of a variety of journalist awards in Germany and Austria. In total there are several dozen journalist prices in Germany that have been initiated by associations, institutions, companies and private initiatives. Serious prizes award committed and meritorious journalism, while some prizes from commercial enterprises and lobby representatives are used to promote their own interests. An overview of various journalist prices is on the website of Turntable

renowned prices that are particularly highlighted are the Stern Prize, the Theodor-Wolff Prize and the Guardian Prize of the Daily Press, whereby many prices have specific application deadlines and conditions of participation that often take into account age limits or media types

The awarding of the Lower Austrian Journalism Award is not only a highlight for the award winners, but also an important signal for the importance of journalism in a constantly changing media landscape. Further information can be found on ORF Lower Austria .