The main goal of this competition is to promote the development of investigative journalism, attract new authors to this field, and identify cases of corruption and violations of the law.
Works are invited from journalists, media organizations, freelancers, bloggers, civil activists, and students. The evaluation of the materials will be based on criteria such as the relevance of the topic, the author's approach, completeness of disclosure, availability of evidence, exclusivity of information, multimedia elements, and adherence to ethical standards.
The winner or group of winners will receive the Ulanbek Egizbaev Prize for the best investigation.
To participate, it is necessary to send links to published works by January 31, 2026, to the email address [email protected]. The email must include the author's name, the name of the editorial office or organization, and a brief overview of the work. Applications received after the specified deadline will not be considered.
The competition accepts works published from January 1 to December 31, 2025. One participant may submit any number of materials; however, unpublished works will not be accepted for the competition.
Photo from the archive. Ulanbek Egizbaev
Ulanbek Egizbaev was a renowned Kyrgyz investigative journalist.
He passed away in July 2018 at Lake Issyk-Kul, and according to the conclusions of the forensic examination, the cause of death was drowning.
The journalist's death caused significant public resonance. In 2018, Ulanbek Egizbaev was posthumously awarded the state medal "Erdik" for his contribution to the development of journalism and his active civic stance.
In his honor, the Ulanbek Egizbaev Prize was established, which is awarded for outstanding investigative journalism in Kyrgyzstan.
