The European Commission announced yesterday in Dublin the winners of the European Journalist Awards on Diversity. It is the first edition of the EU-wide award which is one of the follow-up actions announced in the conclusions of the 1st Fundamental Rights Colloquium that took place in Brussels last year. European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said: "This is an era in which we all have to make an extra effort to understand each other, see the world through the eyes of one's neighbour or far-relative in order to combat fear or even hatred between peoples. Journalists offer us that essential opportunity to do so through their words and stories about people like us."

Vĕra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, added: "Journalists play a key role in promoting an inclusive society. We should support journalists who investigate discrimination, injustice and write articles defending democracy, equality and respect for human rights." In line with the theme of the Colloquium, the articles selected focused on "Promoting social acceptance and diversity of all faiths and beliefs".

The articles were published over the past 1-2 years in all 28 EU Member States and they all showcase examples of print and online journalism promoting diversity and combatting discrimination. The jury was made up of experts on journalism and equality, as well as European Commission staff.

The finalist articles come from:

• Spain,
• Croatia,   and
• Germany

The three winning finalists are:

	Dora Koretić, Croatia for her article "Our life under the hijab in Zagreb – ’I wear a headscarf, but no, I’m not a housewife. I have a PhD in Neuroscience and I want to win the Nobel Prize" (Read article in Croatian here)
	Verena Mayer, Germany for her article "God’s House"   (Read article in German here).
	Imane Rachidi, Spain for her article "Being Muslim, gay and an imam in Europe: 'The Koran doesn’t say anything against homosexuals'" (Read article in Spanish here)

Find a complete overview of all the finalists and their articles here.

The three award winners (from left to right) Dora Koretić, Verena Mayer & Imane Rachidi with Tiina Astola, Director-General for Justice and Consumers (left), Frances Fitzgerald, Minister for Justice and Equality(middle) & David Stanton, Minister of State for Justice (right)
European journalists with the team of the European Commission (DG Justice & Consumers)