Call for nominations: IPI/IMS 2024 press freedom awards

It’s time again to honour exceptional courage and innovation in journalism.

The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) are proud to announce the call for nominations for this year’s World Press Freedom Hero Award and Free Media Pioneer Award.

Both awards will be presented during a special ceremony at IPI’s 2024 World Congress, which will take place May 22–24 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nominations must be received by 5 March (23:59 CEST). Award winners will be selected by a global expert jury.

Background

The World Press Freedom Hero Award honours journalists who have made significant contributions to the promotion of press freedom, particularly in the face of great personal risk.

Last year’s Hero award was given to Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui, honouring her decades of fearless investigative reporting despite targeted efforts to silence her.

Other past recipients include Anna Politkovskaya, Carlos Dada, Katherine Graham, Hrant Dink, Shireen Abu Akleh and Lydia Cacho. See all past World Press Freedom Hero Award recipients.

The IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award is presented to organizations meeting the demands of the moment through innovative models of journalism, media, or press freedom defence. They are opening up new ways of thinking about the free flow of information to strengthen independent journalism and meet the needs of their communities.

Last year’s award was presented to Myanmar Now, a trailblazing news organisation dedicated to investigating and exposing human rights violations in Myanmar.

Other past recipients include Egyptian news website Mada Masr, the Philippines’s Rappler, Turkey’s Medyascope platform and the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee. See all Free Media Pioneer award recipients.

How to nominate

IPI and IMS welcome nominations from around the world for the 2024 awards. Please send your nomination by 5 March (23:59 CEST) to info@ipi.media with the subject line “World Press Freedom Hero nomination” or “Free Media Pioneer nomination” together with a brief description of the person or organisation you are nominating.

Nominations for the World Press Freedom Hero Award must be individuals. Nominations for the Free Media Pioneer Award can be individuals, teams, news outlets or other media-related organisations, including organisations that defend press freedom.

We look forward to your nominations!