2022: John van den Heuvel
2021: Chris van Dam
Each year, successful anti-fraud initiatives or individuals are nominated. Anyone can be nominated, including individuals, projects/initiatives, and organizations. From these nominations, a winner is selected by the Committee of Experts.
Nomination criteria
The following two criteria apply to nominations for the award:- Has a proven record of excellence in anti-fraud/anti-corruption or related crimes.
- The individual, organization or initiative is an inspiration to others.
With respect to the “distinguished” criterion, consideration will be given to whether the individual, the organization, or initiative is:
- effective and proactive in combating fraud and/or corruption;
- capable of reaching and engaging a broad audience;
- making a demonstrable contribution to a resilient society.
One seat on the Committee of Experts shall be filled by an anti-fraud expert upon request. Each year, a person is nominated for this purpose and, with the approval of the Committee of Experts, is asked to participate in the Committee of Experts on a one-off basis.
Nikki Sterkenburg
Nikki Sterkenburg (1984) is a former investigative journalist who worked for “Quote”, “Elsevier”, and “Vrij Nederland”. In 2011, she received the Luis for the best interview and in 2017 the Mercur for magazine report of the year. In addition to her journalistic career, she received her PhD from Leiden University in 2021 on the motivations of radical and far-right activists, for which she interviewed and followed far-right extremists for years. In addition to her dissertation, she wrote the journalist book “Maar dat mag je niet zeggen: Een nieuwe generatie radicaal- en extreemrechts” (But you cannot say that: A new generation of radical and far-right), for which she received high praise. Sterkenburg is currently deputy head of national security at the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism. She is also a board member of the National Committee for May 4 and 5 and is involved in the Beat Batten Foundation.