Media Awards 2016

Journalists have always played a vital part in uncovering abuses and corruption around the world.

That’s why we honour and recognise the courageous work they do, and the serious risks they take with our annual Media Awards.

Now in its 25th year, the Awards recognise excellence in human rights reporting and acknowledge journalism’s significant contribution to public awareness of human rights issues.

Our winners are often at the forefront of breaking news and exposing human rights abuses around the world and have included journalists from Channel 4 News, GQ, The Sunday Times, The Herald and ITV News.

See the 2016 winners

The categories

We're looking for entries from a diverse range of media outlets in the following categories:

• Best student journalist – run in collaboration with National Union of Students and The Observer
• Documentary – programmes given a UK TV or theatrical screening
• Features – magazine or newspaper content that creatively explores topics, issues or stories relating to human rights.
• Multimedia – websites, apps or interactive online news or feature-based reporting
• News – a news article or series of articles published in a UK national newspaper or website
• Nations and regions – print, online or broadcast entries from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions
• Photojournalism – for images published in the UK
• Radio – one news item or a series of podcasts, or programmes broadcast to a UK audience
• Television news – one news item or a series of broadcasts to a UK audience
• The Gaby Rado Award for best new journalist – for journalists who have been working in broadcast, online or print media for five years or less

The judges 

Each year, the UK’s finest editors, correspondents, photojournalists and documentary makers from every genre dedicate time and their professional expertise to judge the entries - this year is no exception. Confirmed judges for the 2016 Media Awards include:

• Beatrice Rubens (BBC Radio)
• Cathy Newman (Channel 4 News)
• James Rea (LBC and Global News)
• Oly Duff (The 'i')
• Naresh Puri (BBC News)
• Rankin (photographer and Hunger magazine founder)
• Russ O’Connell (Sunday Times)

The 2015 winners

TV News

Inside Yarl’s Wood: Britain’s most notorious detention centre (Jackie Long, Channel 4 News)

Judges: Federico Escher, John Angier, Bridget Kendall, Anna Jones

Digital

The Counted (The Guardian)

Judges: Siraj Datoo, Kevin Sutcliffe, Jacqueline Housden, Ian Dunt

Features

The boys who could see England (Anders Fjellberg & Tomm W. Christiansen, Dagbladet/New Statesman)

Judges: David Jones, Andrea Thompson, Gary Younge, Tom Parry

Photojournalism

Tommy Trenchard: Ebola in West Africa

Judges: Tabish Khan, Shannon Jensen, Tomasina Brittain, Mark Townsend

National Newspapers

I’m afraid of the sea but I’ll do anything to get out (Christina Lamb, Sunday Times)

Judges: David Wastell, Robert Yates, Sarah Sands, Hannah Strange

Radio

Red River Women (BBC Radio Current Affairs for BBC World Service)

Judges: Anna Doble, Paul Moss, Dotun Adebayo, Steve Bloomfield, Steve Wilson-Beales

Nations & Regions

A Woman Alone with the IRA (Spotlight, BBC Northern Ireland)

Judges: Nina Hossain, Yvette Shapiro, Beverley Rouse

Gaby Rado

Gabriella Jozwiak, Freelance 

Judges: Mike Thomson, Rob Hodge, Tom Rado, Naga Munchetty

Documentaries

Escape from ISIS (Dispatches, Channel 4)

Judges: Naresh Puri, Eamonn Matthews, Fiona Lloyd-Davies, Rizwana Hamid, Louise Orton

Student

Jonathan Lawrence, Child prostitution in Zarqa: a city paralysed by the mafia

Judges: Emma Graham-Harrison, Yonni Usiskin, Anant Naik