Georgian journalist Nino Chipchiuri will spend a month-long fellowship at the headquarters of the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) in London after winning the European Union's Special Prize for Peace Journalism.

The prize was established in 2012 and recognises reporting that promotes a peaceful solution on both sides of the conflict divide, contributes to a better understanding of the values of the European Union and reflects high standards of journalistic ethics and professionalism.

Chipchiuri, the third winner of the prize, comes from the Shida Kartli region in central Georgia.

“This prize brings the greatest joy to me and the responsibility to be a more active participant in the peace process,” she told IWPR.

She was honoured for an article called Doctors of the Conflict Region are Building Bridges of Health, published online by Women Connecting for Peace.

The award has given her so much motivation, she added, that she is continuously thinking about new projects that can help build new relations between Georgians and Ossetians.

“After receiving the prize, I am looking only for topics on peacekeeping in the region. I want my articles and topics to contribute to the restoration of trust and relationships between people,” she said.

Chipchiuri first worked with IWPR in 2007 for a project creating a network of regional journalists. She participated in a series of trainings and went on journalistic missions, covering a variety of topics.

“If it had not been for IWPR, I would not have received in-depth knowledge and experience in the field of journalism, and it would have been difficult for me to develop only in the local media. My professional growth, as well as for many other regional journalists, began with IWPR,” she said.

During the Georgian-Russian war in August 2008, her hometown Gori was subject to air raids.

“I received the most significant professional support at the time of the August war [in 2008], when the organisation was one of the operational media covering events in different languages with the help of its correspondents in the region,” she said. “I worked with IWPR in emergency mode, when the city was bombed. This was an important challenge and experience. When covering a war from the centre of events, one has to be impartial, balanced and objective.”

The Prize for Peace Journalism is awarded by the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) within the framework of annual EU Prize for Journalism. The winners of the contest were announced at an awards ceremony in Tbilisi on January 20.

“Peace journalism should ideally give voice to all parties, at all levels – from decision makers to the populations affected in their livelihoods,” said Erik Hoeeg, deputy head of mission of EUMM in Georgia. “We view peace journalism as an essential tool for bridging divides, promoting understanding and ultimately achieving conflict resolution.”