Aftonbladet and Svenska Dagbladet, Schibsted’s two major Swedish media houses, were nominated in all four categories for this year’s edition of the Stora Journalistpriset – The Great Journalism Awards – essentially the Swedish Championships in Journalism.
And we took first prize in three out of four categories. A historic evening, in other words.
Storyteller of the Year: Dynastin, SvD
“With great skill and storytelling joy, they take us into Sweden’s most talked-about financial dynasty – and provide the story behind rumours and annual reports.”
That was the jury’s motivation when SvD’s journalists Jan Almgren and Adam Svanell, together with executive producers Hugo Lavett and Lovisa Lamm Nordenskiöld, won the prestigious Great Journalism Prize in the Storyteller of the Year category.
“We wanted to tell the real and long story of this family. I and many others have written short fragments over the years. We wanted to get hold of Felix and Sophie. And it turned out that Sophie had probably wanted to tell her story for quite a few years,” said Jan Almgren, who is a reporter in the documentary when interviewed by TV4 host and the evening’s presenter Jenny Strömstedt on stage.
Voice of the Year: Oisín Cantwell, Aftonbladet
“In a time when the debate on criminal policy is becoming increasingly feverish, he keeps a cool head,” the jury wrote in the motivation.
Oisín Cantwell says after the award ceremony:
“I am incredibly happy. I am incredibly moved. I am incredibly honoured. But this is not just my prize. I have fantastic editors and bosses who put up with me. Aftonbladet is a fantastic place to work.”
Earlier this year, Oisín Cantwell was named Stylist of the Year by the magazine Journalisten for “always finding the angle.”
Revelation of the Year: “H&M and recycling.”
“With a smart method, a mountain of lies behind the Swedish clothing giant’s green facade is revealed,” the motivation read.
“Incredibly fun, I am deeply honoured and very proud. Very happy that this type of work is highlighted where we examine the reality behind the big companies’ sustainability promises. We hope that more journalists will do this type of investigation and scrutinize the companies,” said Staffan Lindberg after the announcement.
And photographer Magnus Wennman:
“Absolutely incredibly honourable, fun that two significant prizes went to Aftonbladet. You never imagine that you will win prizes. Right now, it feels very inspiring to continue working with climate journalism.”
“I am so proud and incredibly impressed by what our media houses have accomplished during a tough and, not least, intense year in our industry. That our journalism takes home three out of four first places here tonight is so well-deserved. ‘Dynastin’ is something we have often had reason to highlight at Schibsted as a resounding success, and Aftonbladet’s revelation of how H&M’s recycling works in practice is an excellent example of outstanding investigative journalism that makes a difference. The fact that the Voice of the Year award also ends up with us is incredibly gratifying. Oisín Cantwell is a star,” says Siv Juvik Tveitnes, CEO of Schibsted News Media.
SvD was also nominated in the category Innovator of the Year with the initiative “AI listens to podcasts,” by Lisa Irenius, Head of SvD Culture, and Madelaine Levy, Deputy Culture Editor and Development Editor. Through an innovative journalistic method, it became possible to analyse thousands of hours of podcast recordings, resulting in a deeper and sometimes surprising picture of some of Sweden’s most influential podcasts. The winner in that category was Inas Hamdan: ‘The Image of Sweden in Al Jazeera,’ Sydsvenskan.
