World Suicide Prevention Day, observed annually on 10 September, provides an opportunity to highlight initiatives that strengthen responsible communication about suicide and promote hope and help-seeking. Among these are the Papageno Media Awards, which recognise journalists and media professionals whose reporting follows evidence-based principles of suicide prevention and demonstrates how the media can contribute to saving lives. Established in Austria and now inspiring similar initiatives across Europe, Papageno Awards are increasingly being used to acknowledge high-quality reporting and encourage the adoption of responsible media practices.
On 10 September 2026, the “Papageno Media Prize” for media coverage promoting suicide prevention was awarded for the eighth time. The prize is awarded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection in collaboration with the Austrian Society for Suicide Prevention, the Wiener Werkstätte for Suicide Research, the Vienna Crisis Intervention Centre, the Austrian Press Council and the VsUM (Association for the Promotion of Self-Determined Media Use). The prize was presented by Federal Minister Korinna Schumann at a gala event in Vienna, which also featured a performance by the popular Austrian singer-songwriter Ina Regen. The winner is Leon Hoffmann-Ostenhof from ORF for his report on burnout and mental health issues amongst Austrian farmers.
“Papageno-Media-Prize” is part of Austria’s national suicide prevention programme SUPRA. The event also marks the start of “Yellow September” in Austria. Based on the Icelandic model, “Yellow September” aims to raise awareness of mental health and suicide prevention. www.yellowseptember.at
To follow these best practices over the borders, the Institute of Public Health in Slovenia announced in September 2026 that the Papageno media will be awarded in 2027 for the first time. Right now, the detailed procedures are being developed as part of the preparations for this event. Media Awards are also delivered in several other countries, including Norway, Catalonia, Sweden, Belgium, Italy, and Denmark, and have been awarded this year for the fourth time in Estonia.
For the fourth consecutive year on World Suicide Prevention Day, the Minister of Social Affairs Karmen Joller presented the Estonian Papageno Media Prize, an initiative integrated into the Estonian Suicide Prevention Action Plan (SETK) for 2025–2028 that reflects a whole-of-society approach where everybody has a role in suicide prevention. Within this framework, journalists can contribute to saving lives by sharing stories of coping that offer hope, show light at the end of a dark tunnel, and encourage help-seeking through the identification effect. Organised by the Estonian-Swedish Mental Health and Suicidology Institute (ERSI) alongside partner non-governmental organisations led by the Estonian Association of Young Journalists (ENAS), Peaasjad, and EluS (Association of bereaved), with support from the Ministry of Social Affairs (Sotsiaalministeerium), media items were assessed by a ten-member Papageno Commission of suicide prevention experts, journalists, and bereaved individuals.
First-place winners Anu Viita-Neuhaus and Liisa Ehamaa from Postimees (Estonia’s daily newspaper) were recognised for their feature, “Life is for Living. A Mantra to Repeat and Believe In”
Written by:
Dr Alexander Grabenhofer-Eggerth (Austria), Dr Zrinka Laido (Estonia), Professor Vita Poštuvan (Slovenia), Professor Thomas Niederkrotenthaler (Austria)
Photo: Jakob Meier
