Photo: Latvia presents its journalism “Oscars”, the LŽA Excellence Awards

Latvia’s journalism community gathered at the Noass arts centre on Friday, September 4, for the Latvian Journalists Association’s 2026 Excellence Awards. The jury assessed 180 entries and selected nominees in nine categories.

Delfi journalist Anna Apīne won Young Journalist of the Year for her article about women who described experiences with pastor Eimanis during their teenage years. Delfi received seven nominations overall.

This year the awards expanded their categories. Alongside news and reporting, interviews, features, investigative and analytical work, regional journalism and editor of the year, prizes were introduced for fact-checker of the year, golden frame and young journalist of the year. The former interview and feature category was also divided into two separate awards.

The winners included Luīze Lote Āboltiņa and Pauls Raudseps of Ir for news and reporting; Aidis Tomsons for a Latvijas Radio interview with entrepreneur Armands Broks; and a Latvijas Public Media team for the documentary film “Let Me Be.” Ilze Jaunalksne-Rēdere of TV3 won for the investigative series “The Timber Industry Case,” while Sanita Karavoičika of Vaduguns won in regional journalism.

Rūta Kesnere received the fact-checker award for the LETA project “Behind the Curtain,” and LETA photographer Edijs Pālens won the Golden Frame for a photograph of Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych. Iveta Lepeško won Editor of the Year for the Latvijas Public Media programme “Choice No. 1.” Skaidrīte Lasmane received the Inta Brikše Award for a significant contribution to journalism, while Laine Skvorcova received the LŽA special award for courage. The source text ends while describing a further special award for reporting the realities of the war in Ukraine.