Selam Gebrekidan is an Ethiopia-born Reuters journalist based in New York. Over the past 18 months, she has reported from 10 countries in three continents to uncover how smuggling networks and the so-called Islamic State profited from the global migration crisis. She produced a trilogy of reports documenting the journeys of three groups of migrants from Eritrea.

The first, centred on 16-year-old Girmay Mehari, revealed how smugglers prey on refugees’ relatives worldwide to extract money for journeys that often end in death. The second story uncovered how ISIS, battling for its survival in Libya, is profiting from the migrant flow to Europe by turning women migrants like 24-year old Ruta Fisehaye into sex slaves. The third story took Gebrekidan to Libya, where she documented how a mother and 12-year-old daughter, after escaping captivity as ISIS sex slaves, were imprisoned by local militia on the baseless charge of belonging to the extremist group themselves.

“Across three continents and psychological and cultural chasms, Selam Gebrekidan has done a wonderful, empathic series of pieces about migration and its impact on everyone concerned. Ethiopian-born herself, she followed Eritrean migrants on their long journeys through Libya, focusing on the smugglers, the families trying to help across long distances, the dangers of the journey, both from Islamic State and militant groups. A remarkable accomplishment, aided by a sophisticated multimedia presentation, including helpful charts and graphics.”

International Journalist of the Year Award Jury

May Jeong is an award-winning writer based in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her work has been published in the New York Times Magazine, The Intercept and Harper’s, amongst others. Her investigative reporting on the cost of the war in Afghanistan for the Financial Times won her the 2014 Society of Business Editors and Writers’ Award. She is a two-time Pulitzer Centre on Crisis Reporting grantee, and currently a Logan Nonfiction fellow at the Carey Institute for Global Good.

Jeong’s recent stories – ‘The Smugglers’ and ‘Afghans, the Refugees’ Refugees’ – have grown out of a larger body of work examining the so-called European refugee crisis from the perspective of Afghanistan. ‘Death from the Sky’ is a months-long investigation into the US airstrike on the MSF hospital in Kunduz in October 2016, and ‘The Patient War’ poses the question: how does the war end in Afghanistan? Much of her work to date has been an attempt to address this question. Jeong finds the best available answer to be that it is far from over; civil war in Afghanistan will continue long after all foreigners leave.

“May Jeong’s entries were outstanding, showing a comprehensive command of journalism which brought together tenacious investigative skills, an understanding of complex and contentious issues, and lucid storytelling at an extraordinary level of detail. Her determination to uncover the truth, such as in the case of the Kunduz hospital bombing, under arduous and dangerous circumstances, was truly impressive. We were unanimous in deciding that May Jeong was the winner.”

New Voice Award Jury

Journalist: Waad al-Kateab
Producers: Teresa Smith & Federico Escher
Presenter: Matt Frei

Channel 4 News aired this miraculous story of a baby boy born after his mother was caught up in a barrel bomb attack in Syria. As the child hovers between life and death this 6-minute film captures the pain and ultimately, despite the mother’s desperate struggle for life, the sheer joy of the baby’s survival.

The remarkable footage was filmed by a young Syrian woman, Waad al-Kateab, during the siege of Aleppo. Al-Kateab taught herself to use a camera at the beginning of the Syrian uprising and has been documenting the terrible suffering of civilians in Aleppo under siege ever since. She was 25 years old and a young mother herself. It’s a powerful and emotional report and has become Channel 4 News’ most watched piece – currently at 70 million views. Her short films from Aleppo have in total been viewed over 400 million times – and have provided some of the most memorable images of the Syrian war.

“The winning submission, shot by Channel 4’s brave and talented camerawoman Waad al-Kateab, delivered a moving and extraordinary humanitarian News item.  Investing in local developing world talent to deliver exceptional news footage has paid rich dividends.  It reflects the collaborative ethos that these One World Media Awards has always sought to foster.  Channel 4 News clearly worked hard to bring together a range of talents to elevate the craft and narrative of the piece which delivered a memorable and moving News item.  The non-linear double narrative was beautifully interwoven with Matt Frei’s exceptional script.  Demonstrating that broadcast newsrooms must rely on teamwork to deliver more than the sum of the parts for exceptional News coverage.  Witnessing the birth of a baby in the turmoil and tragedy that has been Aleppo merely heightened the rawness of war and death, but reminded the audience that life must persist for those who don’t succumb to the bombs and bullets.  A local camera operator who was clearly trusted by hospital staff was able to gather images that told the story of life and death in Aleppo like few other pieces.  Seeing a baby born in the midst of a bombing incident has to be one of the most incredible bits of footage from the human catastrophe that is Aleppo.  The reach of the piece on social media, reported at 66 million views, after the initial broadcast reflects the power of the images and the narrative to convey a deeper understanding of this human catastrophe.  A huge impact for an individual item of news which the judges felt just gave it the edge over other exceptional entries.”

News Award Jury

In September 2014, men with machetes assassinated three elderly Italian nuns at their convent in Bujumbura. The triple murder, which for many marked the beginning of Burundi’s ongoing political crisis, incensed Burundians, who suspected the state of orchestrating the crime. In the following months, the population united – Tutsis and Hutus – behind their journalists and civil rights defenders in a way the country had never seen before.

Despite a long civil war and two genocides, there has been no truth and reconciliation process in Burundi. International bodies attempting to monitor abuses are stonewalled by the government, while independent media and civil society are in exile. Human rights activists and journalists have risked their lives to investigate state crimes hoping that their evidence would one day be used in court. Reporter Jessica Hatcher-Moore follows the work of one human rights defender who set out to solve the nuns’ murder and was confronted by a near-fatal collision course with Burundi’s most powerful general.

“A gripping read, and at its heart, brave and great journalism.”

Print Award Jury

Writer: Rachel Cooke
Editor: Ursula Kenny

In this interview, writer Rachel Cooke talks to architect Marwa al-Sabouni about her new book, The Battle for Home, and her decision to remain in her home city of Homs with her husband and children throughout the Syrian war. The book is part memoir and part architectural essay and focuses on the rebuilding of Syria, and the ways in which its architecture has contributed to sectarian issues in the country. The piece examines the effects of the war on her neighbours and the city of Homs as a whole.

Balancing a human view with a professional one, al-Sabouni persists in thinking like an architect, even as her city lies in ruins around her. After the publication of this interview, The Battle for Home was hugely in demand: BBC World Service, Wall Street Journal, and Financial Times critics reviewed the book, and al-Sabouni was subsequently invited to speak at a conference at the Barbican, organised by the Architecture Foundation, which focused on the art and architecture behind the refugee crisis.

“A beautifully written interview that tells the story of Marwa al-Sabouni, a remarkable young architect from the Syrian town of Homs.  Marwa has remained there with her husband and children throughout the war and her personal story is told with great humanity. But it is brilliantly interweaved with her professional story and her views about how architecture has caused much of Syria’s problems in the past and is now fundamental to its future. The result is a moving and intelligent piece of writing.”

Popular Features Award Jury

Yanin Ma is an 11-year-old girl living with leukaemia. Her hometown in Shantou has become one of the most heavily polluted cities in the world and is now infamous for its electronic waste recycling industry. The family-run workshops that cover the city burn electronics sourced from all over the world in order to extract the rare metals they contain, a process that fills the atmosphere with dangerous toxins.

The film documents Yanin’s recovery having spent the last month undergoing chemotherapy in Guangzhou City. Yanin wants only to go home for the annual Children’s Day celebration, but some believe the pollution in her hometown could be the very cause of her illness. In Waste, student and filmmaker Minmin Wu follows Yanin and her family through her gruelling treatment and provides insight into the human cost of urban pollution.

“The judges fell in love with the main character, Yanxin, a young girl undergoing treatment for leukaemia. It was a beautifully observed film that stayed with them long after watching.  The filmmaker showed a real ability to make a connection with the characters and in structuring a film that is important and inspiring.”

Student Award Jury

Reporter: Mike Thomson
Producer: M. Gallagher | Editor: B. Harney
Research & Translation: Mariam el Khalaf

This programme tells the story of the people of the besieged town of Darayya in Syria and their extraordinary hidden library. Deep beneath the shattered, barrel-bombed streets is a basement room filled with thousands of books rescued from collapsed buildings under constant shelling and sniper fire. Reporter Mike Thompson reveals the story of Syria’s secret library through a period of more than six months of tenuous Skype calls, emails and social media messages with the people who built it, including Free Syrian Army fighter, Omar Abu-Anas. These people, who are still fighting to defend their hometown, risked their lives to read. Sadly, Omar was killed the day after the programme was broadcast. Rebel-held Darayya finally surrendered to Syrian government forces near the end of August and the town was evacuated. Yet their story of hope has inspired listeners across the world.

“An extraordinary documentary. A raw, beautiful piece combining pure journalism, authenticity and humanity. The judges were impressed by the creative and tenacious collection of material, and also by the intimacy of the relationships build via unreliable skype and social media links. The richness of material and stories kept coming throughout, leaving a lasting and powerful impact on the listener. Radio perfection.”

Radio Award Jury

For the past 26 years, Eritrea has been a dictatorship and the government has enforced strict censorship of the media. Despite this, exiled Eritrean journalist Binjam Simon has been successful in launching an independent Eritrean radio station. Radio Erena – which means ‘Our Eritrea’ – was founded in Paris in June 2009 with the help of Reporters Without Borders. It has grown into an international, independent radio service working with 15 journalists from across the globe. Radio Erena broadcasts in Tigrinya and Arabic to Eritrea and provides cultural, social, political and entertainment programmes that enable Eritreans living under the dictatorship to hear a different story to the one forcibly imposed by the regime.

“According to the World Press Freedom Index Eritrea is at the very bottom -180th out of 180 countries. It also has 15 journalists currently in prison.
Against that background the achievement of the exiles running Radio Erena is immense, creating fresh programmes everyday and managing to evade the many barriers to independent information by broadcasting their reports back into Eritrea aswell as for Eritreans in exile.The Jury was impressed with the highly innovative use of mobile telephone technology to reach their audience and the way in which, in a highly politicised nation, they had sustained a reputation for independent and balanced journalism over eight years.”

The Jury