The first prize for Best Investigative Story at this year’s “Nikola Mladenov 2025” competition was awarded to the Investigative Reporting Lab (IRL) for the story “Kocani – Our Moral Compromise”, the team of the show “KOD” for their investigative series on the fire at the “Pulse” nightclub, and journalist Irena Mulacka from “Fokus” weekly newspaper for her story on the secret owner of the “Rubikon” agency.
The award recognizes exceptional professional dedication, investigative persistence, and a strong sense of public interest demonstrated by these journalists and editorial teams. Their work contributed to uncovering the causes, oversights, and accountability related to one of the most tragic events in the country’s recent history – the fire at the “Pulse” nightclub in Kocani. Through their investigations, they raised essential questions about institutional responsibility, illegal conduct, and systemic corruption, while providing the public with a more complete, documented, and evidence-based understanding of the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
Second Prize was shared by the team from BIRN Macedonia for their research and database on religious properties of the MOC-OA and IVZ, and journalists Aleksandar Metodiev and Suzana Miceva for the series “Coal at the Crossroads.”
The third Prize was awarded jointly to journalist Fisnik Xhelili for his story on the misuse of funds for stray dog treatment in Tetovo, published on Portalb, and Aleksandar Dimitrievski for his story “Police Special Forces to Be Outfitted by a Women’s Fashion Studio and a Company Registered Before the Tender”, published on 360 Degrees.
Certificates of recognition for Outstanding Journalistic Engagement were given to Miroslava Simonovska and Frosina Fakova Serafinović, Bjanka Stanković, Slavica Filipovska Ivanova, and Mihail Miloshevski.
This year’s competition was announced on January 27 and opened until February 17, 2026, and received 42 stories across 122 texts and video articles.
The jury’s overall conclusion is that the best stories this year are distinguished by thorough fact checking, diverse sources, serial or long-term investigative approaches, clear structure, and the ability to translate complex topics into understandable and impactful journalistic products. These qualities affirm the essential role of investigative journalism as a corrective to institutions and a pillar of democratic society.
The jury especially highlights that despite limited editorial resources, strong political and economic pressures, and the fast pace of daily news, investigative journalism in the country continues to produce relevant, courageous, and socially significant content.
The jury expressed appreciation to all journalists and editorial teams in the country, especially local correspondents from Kocani, Stip, and surrounding areas, who professionally and ethically inform citizens and raise public awareness, demanding accountability from institutions for the causes and circumstances of the Kocani tragedy. Their contribution is particularly valuable given the extremely difficult, sensitive, and emotionally charged conditions under which they worked, maintaining professionalism, ethics, and public responsibility.
The Best Investigative Story awards have been traditionally awarded by MIM since 2001, and since 2013, the award bears the name of esteemed journalist Nikola Mladenov.
The full jury commission report, detailing the evaluated aspects of the awarded stories, is available for download below.
