George Greenwood

George Greenwood’s data-driven reporting had a major impact last year, leading to police investigations expected to recover millions of pounds from the proceeds of crime, and changes in government policy to prevent food companies undermining health measures. He also won major transparency victories in the courts.

Using a copy of Dubai’s largely opaque property ownership register he exposed how British criminals stashed wealth there – often from behind bars. The size of the database, and the array of nationalities included, meant he had to write his own program in order to identify UK fraudsters.

He uncovered a co-ordinated campaign by fast-food giant KFC to challenge planning restrictions that would limit fast-food outlets near school gates – and in the absence of a central planning-challenge database in the UK he built one from scratch.

After an 18-month battle, starting with an FOI request and culminating in a court case to force disclosure, he found that Suella Braverman had sent government documents to her private email 127 times while Attorney General, exposing the government to potential cybercrime.

Judges praised Greenwood’s “brilliant use of data tools to deliver agenda-setting exclusives,” and acknowledged the “passion, dedication, time and effort he invests in order to educate his readers”.