Winners of this Year's Semmelweis-Richter International Journalism Award Announced

BUDAPEST I. KERÜLET, HU / ACCESS Newswire / September 21, 2026 / For the second time, Semmelweis University, with the support of Gedeon Richter, has recognized outstanding health and science journalism from across Europe through the Semmelweis-Richter Journalism Award. Six entries received awards in the "Women's Health" and "Pharmaceutical Strategies and Innovation" categories. The first prizes in the two categories were awarded to an international investigative project on abortion and an article about a technology that uses miniature bioengineered devices to mimic the functions of human organs. The competition received around 60 entries from nearly 20 countries.

The Semmelweis-Richter Journalism Award was established to recognize high-quality health and science journalism in Europe. As last year, the competition attracted entries from journalists working for major international media outlets, including The Guardian, the Financial Times, The Times, BBC News, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Público. The award-winning articles covered topics ranging from the impact of climate change on pregnancy and the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare to the potential risks of artificially created organisms.

First prize in the "Women's Health" category went to Exporting Abortion, an international investigative journalism project. The project, involving more than a dozen European journalists, was coordinated by Sergio Sangiao, Emilia G. Morales, and Nacho Calle from the Spanish newspaper Público. It examined the barriers faced by women across Europe who cannot access abortion, or have only limited access to it, in their own countries and therefore have to travel abroad for the procedure.

Sarah Neville of the Financial Times took second place with an article looking at how climate change and increasingly frequent extreme heat are raising the risks associated with pregnancy and the potential dangers for both mothers and their unborn children.

Third prize was awarded to Lauren Shirreff of The Telegraph, who told the story of a young woman to highlight the serious consequences of an incorrect psychiatric diagnosis and the stigma faced by patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

In the "Pharmaceutical Strategies and Innovation" category, Vito Tartamella of the Italian magazine Focus took first place. His article looked at organ-on-a-chip technology, which uses human cells to model the functions of individual organs and could offer new possibilities for drug development, reduce the need for animal testing and support the testing of personalized therapies.

Kaya Burgess of The Times received second prize for an article examining "mirror bacteria" that could potentially be artificially created as mirror images of naturally occurring bacteria and the risks they could pose.

Third place went to Filipa Mendes of the Portuguese newspaper Público, who wrote about an artificial intelligence model that analyzes health data to assess the likelihood of developing any of more than 1,000 diseases, in some cases decades in advance.

The entries were evaluated by an international jury. Its members were Dr Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University; Gábor Orbán, CEO of Gedeon Richter; Dr Nándor Ács, Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Semmelweis University; Professor E. Szilveszter Vizi, medical doctor, academician, former President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences; Professor Rossella E. Nappi, obstetrician-gynecologist; and Tom Whipple, journalist at The Times and one of last year's winners of the competition.

The two categories have a combined prize fund of EUR 45,000. First-place winners receive EUR 10,000, second-place winners EUR 7,500 and third-place winners EUR 5,000.

The winners will be honored at the Semmelweis-Richter Journalism Award ceremony in Budapest on November 26.

To explore the list of winners and their articles, visit the official website: Winners - Semmelweis Richter Award

About Richter

Richter aspires to be a global innovator in some key scientific fields, while dedicated to making medicines more accessible worldwide. Founded in 1901, headquartered in Hungary, with a market capitalization of EUR 4.8bn and sales of EUR 2.3bn in 2025, it operates Central Europe's largest R&D hub. Its research drives breakthroughs in Neuropsychiatry and Women's Healthcare, while Biotechnology and General Medicines strengthen its affordable treatment portfolio. Committed to sustainable growth, Richter invests in R&D, manufacturing excellence, and digitalization to advance medical innovation. Learn more at www.gedeonrichter.com

About Semmelweis University

Semmelweis University is a leading institution of higher education in Hungary and the Central European region within the area of medicine and health sciences. Its main commitment is the integrity of education, research and healing, which makes the more than 250-year-old Semmelweis University an internationally recognized center of knowledge. As a specialist university, it holds a unique place within the country. Maintaining its position from last year, Semmelweis University ranks 272nd in the 2026 Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, securing the top spot among universities in Hungary and the wider Central and Eastern European region. Learn more at Semmelweis University | Medicine and Health Sciences

For further information:

Richter
Media: Zsuzsa Beke +36 20 916 4507

Semmelweis University
Media: Dóra Szepesi +36 30 016 4502

SOURCE: Gedeon Richter Plc.