It’s that time again! The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) is once more looking for its person of the year – but this time the organisation has flipped the annual poll on its head.
“For years, we named the ‘Corrupt Person of the Year’, but in a global landscape increasingly dominated by audacious crime and corruption, we want to instead celebrate the people fighting for greater accountability and justice.”
So no more of the likes of Bashar al-Assad, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Jair Bolsonaro, Rodrigo Duterte, and other distinguished criminals who have scooped this award over the years. This time around it’s the Anti-Crime and Corruption Heroes poll, which will “honour those confronting organised crime and corruption head-on.”
It could be anyone, says the OCCRP – someone holding the line against authoritarianism, a journalist under threat who keeps reporting regardless, or an activist working for decades to uphold transparency laws – or anyone at all. South Africa has many such heroes – could this be the time for them to shine?
The OCCRP invites everyone to nominate those making a difference in a good way. The organisation will select the winners in December – each winner will receive $1 000 and the OCCRP will spotlight their work.
Hurry – nominations close on 30 November.
Learn more and submit your nomination.
