Best Investigative Journalism Award

2026 Winner

, Large Division

Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto, the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland, and partners across Europe

Reporters from 50 media outlets spanning 45 countries, most in Europe, spent months tracing 100 doctors who were banned in one country but remained licensed and continued practicing in a different country. The investigation exposed gaps in Europe’s healthcare oversight system that endanger lives and how systemic faults cause and worsen that harm. 

The investigative project stands out for its cross-border collaboration and depth of reporting, a judge wrote. “It exposes significant wrongdoing and reflects the power of coordinated investigative journalism.”

Everything You Need to Know About the ‘Bad Practice’ Investigation Oct. 1, 2025

System Failure: How Banned Doctors Move Across Europe, Leaving Patients Vulnerable Oct. 2, 2025

‘Bad Practice’: How We Built a Database of Delicensed Doctors Oct. 17, 2025

An Allegedly ‘Grossly Negligent’ Surgery Exposes Gaps in Europe’s System to Monitor Medical Licensing Jan. 13, 2026