Delfi journalist Anna Apīne wins LJA Excellence Award as Young Journalist of the Year

At the Latvian Journalists' Association (LJA) Excellence Award 2026 ceremony held in Riga on September 4, Delfi journalist Anna Apīne was named Young Journalist of the Year. She received the award for a piece in which women recount experiences from their teenage years involving a pastor named Eimanis.

A total of 180 entries were submitted for this year's award, with the jury selecting nominees across nine categories. Delfi had been nominated in eight categories this year and ultimately won in seven of them.

Winners in other categories

The number of award categories was expanded this year, with prizes awarded for the first time in the "Deceiver of the Year," "Golden Frame" and "Young Journalist of the Year" categories. The previous "Interview and Feature" category was also split into two separate categories.

The News/Reportage award went to Luīze Lote Āboltiņa and Pauls Raudseps of the magazine "Ir". The Interview award was won by Latvian Radio journalist Aidis Tomsons, while the Feature award went to the team behind the Latvian Public Media documentary "Let Me Be". The Research and Analysis prize was awarded to TV3 program "Nekā personīga" journalist Ilze Jaunalksne-Rēdere, and the Regional Journalism award went to Sanita Karavoičika of the newspaper "Vaduguns". Rūta Kesnere won "Deceiver of the Year," LETA photographer Edijs Pālens won "Golden Frame," and Iveta Lepeško was named Editor of the Year.

The Inta Brikše Award for lifetime contribution to journalism was presented to Skaidrīte Lasmane this year. A special "Courage" award went to Laine Skvorcova, while another special award recognizing courage, resilience and selflessness in covering the realities of the war in Ukraine was given to several journalists and camera operators who worked under wartime conditions, including near the front line.

The LJA Excellence Award is presented annually to honor high-quality, socially significant journalism and to recognize authors and editors whose work strengthens the tradition of quality journalism in Latvia.