Bringing Decades of Investigative Journalism Leadership to the Impact Award Jury
One of Southeast Europe’s leading investigative journalism and media development experts, Leila Bičakčić will chair the jury for this year’s IJ4EU Impact Award, bringing more than two decades of investigative journalism leadership and expertise to the selection process.
Bičakčić is a founding member and the leader of the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) in Sarajevo. As Executive Director and co-founder of the centre, she has spent more than two decades building one of Southeast Europe’s foremost investigative newsrooms while playing a key role in developing and managing impactful investigations into corruption, organised crime, judicial accountability, and public governance. Under her leadership, CIN has become one of Southeast Europe’s most respected investigative journalism organisations, producing impactful, evidence-based reporting that has informed public debate, prompted institutional reforms, and strengthened public accountability.
Beyond the newsroom, Bičakčić has played a key role in advancing investigative journalism across the Western Balkans. She has mentored investigative journalists, led regional media development initiatives, built international partnerships, and served on grant-selection and evaluation panels supporting independent journalism and civil society.
With an academic background in physics and economics from the University of Sarajevo, Bičakčić brings analytical rigour together with extensive experience in investigative reporting, newsroom leadership, media sustainability, and organisational development.
A committed advocate for independent journalism, she believes that rigorous, evidence-based reporting is essential to democratic governance, informed public debate, and holding those in power to account.
Leila Bičakčić joins a distinguished line of jury chairs as the sixth person to lead the IJ4EU Impact Award jury. Bičakčić takes over from previous jury chairs including acclaimed media lawyer and press freedom advocate Gill Phillips;, the award-winning journalists Paul Caruana Galizia and Attila Mong, Joanna Krawczyk, Director of CORRECTIV.Europe; and Shaun Walker, Central and Eastern Europe correspondent for The Guardian.
Each year, the jury selects the winners of three €5,000 prizes recognising cross-border investigative reporting that has achieved significant public impact on transnational issues.
In 2026, the Impact Award winners will be announced on 17 September during a special ceremony at IJ4EU’s annual conference UNCOVERED, hosted at Goethe Institute Hungary, Budapest.