Lorenzo Natali Prize

Jamaima Afridi was awarded for her investigative work on the challenges Afghan refugees face in Pakistan, particularly Afghan women impacted by the Taliban's return to power. Her reporting sheds light on their struggles with housing, healthcare, and employment as Pakistan begins a new phase of deportations.

Martin Boudot, Mathilde Cusin and Manon de Couët won with their reporting focusing on the environmental dangers posed by unexploded ordnance and military waste in Normandy, emphasising the need for urgent action from authorities to address this toxic legacy.

Gabriela Ramírez and Tina Xu won with their compelling article highlighting the personal stories of families affected by strict immigration policies and border controls in Europe, emphasising the emotional impact of loss and separation. They call attention to the urgent need for humane immigration policies that respect human rights and dignity.

Bienvenido Velasco was recognised for his work (3^rd picture) revealing the harsh realities faced by migrants navigating the dangerous Darién Gap, driven by false promises spread through social media. It highlights the hazards these individuals encounter, emphasising the urgent need for greater awareness and support for vulnerable populations undertaking such risky journeys.

Inday is a veteran journalist from the Philippines. She was most recently Head of Regions of the Rappler, the independent news portal. She has served as the investigative journalism chief and then executive editor of The Manila Times, and citizen journalism head and senior contributing editor with the broadcast giant ABS-CBN. The former chair of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has received the Reporters Without Borders Prize for Independence, the Philippines’ top prize for investigative journalism, the Marshall McLuhan fellowship from Canada, the lifetime national Gawad Balagtas Award for the Essay in English, and other awards for her coverage of human rights and social issues. She was a 2005-2006 John S. Knight Professional Journalism Fellow at Stanford University.

Stefanie is an award-winning journalist and photographer known for her work covering conflict zones, humanitarian crises, and social issues around the world. She has reported from various countries, including Afghanistan, South Sudan, Libya and Iran, among others. Stefanie's work often appears in major international publications such as The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, and others. She focuses on bringing attention to underreported stories, with an emphasis on the human impact of conflict and political instability. Her reporting is characterized by a deep commitment to on-the-ground, frontline journalism, providing detailed and poignant insights into the lives of those affected by war and disaster. She is a Canon Ambassador, a member of Women Photograph, and speaks English, German, French, and Farsi. Currently based in the Middle East, Stefanie currently works primarily between Turkey and Iran.

Ntibinyane is an Assistant Professor and an investigative journalist who has worked for news organizations in Botswana and South Africa. He was instrumental in founding the INK Centre for Investigative Journalism in 2015, a notable non-profit organization. Ntibinyane, collaborating with over 300 journalists worldwide, contributed to the Panama Papers, earning the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting. In 2018, he was a fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, where he completed a fellowship investigating the impact of non-profit investigative journalism in Africa. He is an Assistant Professor of Journalism at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Delia Rodríguez is a journalist and author specialising in the intersection of technology, media, and society. She has dedicated much of her career in digital media to the conceptualization and launch of innovative journalistic products. Delia founded Verne, the digital culture website of ‘El País’, and served as deputy director of ‘La Vanguardia’. She also held the position of managing editor for Audience Engagement at Univision. Her book, Memecracia, published in 2013, foresaw the impact of meme contagion and other viral phenomena on contemporary society. 

Artur Romeu is a Brazilian journalist specialising in international politics, with a focus on human rights and humanitarian action. He is currently the director of Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) regional office in Latin America, based in Rio de Janeiro. Over the past 10 years, he has supported hundreds of persecuted journalists throughout the region and participated in the deployment of major advocacy, communication, research and training actions to defend press freedom in Latin America.

Lorenzo Natali was a Commissioner for Development and a staunch defender of freedom of expression, democracy, human rights and development. He served three terms as one of Italy’s European Commissioners.

Natali played an important role in the EU accession process of Greece, Spain and Portugal. He also helped enact key measures to combat pollution and improve living conditions across Europe. In his final four-year term as Commissioner, from 1985 until 1989, he was handed responsibility for cooperation and development policy in the Commission under President Jacques Delors. It was in this capacity that he set up a broad network of relations with the governments and leaders of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.