In the run-up to the 2017 Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Johannesburg this November 16 to 19, we’re featuring one Global Shining Light Award finalist per day. The winners, out of 12 extraordinary investigative projects, will be announced at the conference.

An international panel of judges selected the finalists from a record 211 projects, submitted by journalists in 67 countries. The award, which honors investigative journalism in developing or transitioning countries, done under threat, duress or under dire conditions, is sponsored by the Global Investigative Journalism Network, an association of 155 nonprofit organizations in 68 countries.

“Dirty Gold: Chasing the Trace of the London Bullion Market,” Ojo Público, Peru (2015). Team: Óscar Castilla, Nelly Luna, Fabiola Torres and Audrey Córdova.

The investigation identified American and Swiss companies that were buying gold illegally mined in Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile. After publication, US, Swiss, Chilean and Peruvian authorities launched their own probes into the companies and their associates, resulting in arrests of several individuals implicated in the schemes.