I had the privilege of judging the Investigation of the Year category at the British Journalism Awards 2026. An exceptional shortlist. The nominees are: • BBC Eye Investigations: Ghazal Abbasi, Seamus Mirodan, Karim Ali Shah and Mohammed Zubair Khan, investigating whether a hospital infected children with HIV. • The Guardian: Anna Isaac, investigating Nigel Farage’s political funding, including an undisclosed £5m from a cryptocurrency billionaire and financial transactions linked to Reform UK. • The Guardian: Paul Lewis, Henry Dyer and Pippa Crerar, revealing how Peter Mandelson failed security vetting, only for the Foreign Office to overrule the decision. • Reuters: Maggie Michael, Fera Dalatey, Ryan McNeill and Khalil Ashawi, exposing an Assad-era operation to conceal thousands of bodies in mass graves in the Syrian desert. • The Sunday Times: Gabriel Pogrund, Venetia Menzies, George Greenwood and Emanuele Midolo, investigating Nigel Farage’s funding and donations to Reform UK. • Sky News: Dominic Waghorn, Flora Bagenal, Ben van der Merwe, Annoa Abekah-Mensah, Mark Stone, Zein Ja’Far, Liz Lane, Chris Howard and Siobhan Sinnerton, investigating the Minab school attack in Iran and finding evidence pointing to US responsibility. Six major investigations, each requiring brilliant reporting, real and proper scrutiny of powerful institutions and a hard and determined commitment to uncovering facts of considerable public interest. Congratulations to everyone shortlisted. This is journalism worth reading and watching.