The Private Eye says the award, now in its twenty-first year, was set up in memory of journalist Paul Foot who died in 2004, and recognises some of the UK’s most brilliant, talented and determined journalists working in the fields of investigative and campaigning journalism.
This year, the judges were impressed by the breadth and depth of stories, including those investigating dubious proceedings of a local homeless charity, the dangers of lead contamination from abandoned mines, the proliferation of e-bikes in our capital, and universities’ approach to pro-Palestine protests on campuses, among others.
The shortlist will be celebrated at an awards ceremony at BAFTA on Tuesday 20th May, hosted by Ian Hislop. The Private Eye says the winning entry for 2025 will be awarded £8,000 — with runners up receiving £1,500 per entry — and a piece on the winner will appear in the print issue of Private Eye, available on 20th May.
The shortlist nominations, in alphabetical order by journalist, are:
- Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, The Guardian/Reuters Institute Out of Sight: Missing People campaign
- Patrick Butler & Josh Halliday, The Guardian The carer’s allowance scandal
- Laura Hughes, Financial Times Lead poisoning
- Aaron Walawalkar & Harriet Clugston, Liberty Investigates in partnership with Sky News, Metro and The Guardian Inside UK universities’ Gaza protest “crackdown”
- Jim Waterson, LondonCentric Lime bikes and broken legs
- Abi Whistance, The Liverpool Post Investigation into The Big Help Project
This year’s judging panel, chaired by Pádraig Reidy, Little Atoms, comprises Julia Langdon, political journalist and broadcaster; Sir Simon Jenkins, The Guardian; Helen Lewis, The Atlantic; Francis Wheen, Private Eye; Matt Foot, criminal defence solicitor; Janine Gibson, Financial Times; and Tristan Kirk, The London Standard and winner of the 2024 Paul Foot Award.
Pádraig Reidy, chair of Judges, The Private Eye Paul Foot Award, commented: “At a difficult time for journalism, the breadth and ambition of this year’s entries was impressive, with established print outlets competing with smaller, online-only publications. The variety of the shortlist demonstrates that great investigative and campaigning work can be done by all kinds of outlets. What matters is caring enough – and having courage.”
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