Amalia Kostanyan award

Launched in 2011 on joint initiative of Transparency International Anti-corruption Center (TIAC) NGO and Open Society Foundations-Armenia (OSF-Armenia), Amalia Kostanyan annual Award honors an individual in recognition of his/her principled and courageous actions and contribution to the development of civil society.

Since 2023, the Amalia Kostanyan annual Award has been presented by the Transparency International Anti-corruption Center to individuals who have made a noteworthy contribution to the fight against corruption in Armenia.

Amalia Kostanyan was the founder of Transparency International Anti-corruption Center NGO in 2000 and its Chair for a decade till her sudden death in 2010.

On December 8, on the eve of International Antiсorruption Day, TIAC organized a discussion titled "Investigative journalism in the Fight against Corruption" to acknowledge the vital role of investigative journalists in combating corruption.

The event commenced with remarks from Swedish Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, Patrik Svensson, who highlighted the corrosive impact of corruption on human rights, democracy, and national security, extending congratulations to investigative journalists for their commendable efforts. In her opening speech, TIAC Executive Director Sona Ayvazyan underscored the significant contribution of investigative journalists to the anticorruption endeavors in Armenia.

The discussion featured speakers such as Edik Baghdasaryan, Chief Editor, of "Hetq," investigative journalist Mkrtich Karapetyan, Narine Avetisyan, from the Corruption Prevention Commission, Gayane Varosyan from Anticorruption Committee and Siro Amirkhanyan, head of the RA Prosecutor's Office's Department for Confiscation of Illegal Assets.

The event concluded with the presentation of the Amalia Kostanyan Award, named after the TIAC founder. This marked the ninth time the award was given, this time recognizing the invaluable role of investigative journalism in the fight against corruption. Tirayr Muradyan and Mkrtich Karapetyan, investigative journalists from "Hetq," "CivilNet," and "Infocom" media outlets, received the award for their notable publications on corruption crimes in the past year, acknowledging their principled and courageous activities in combating corruption.