Young Journalist Award 2025 is open for entries

Have you got what it takes to be Thomson’s Young Journalist of the Year 2025? If you're a journalist aged 30 or under, this is your moment. Entries are now open for the 2025 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award, now in its 13th year. 

This is one of the most prestigious opportunities for emerging journalists from countries with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of USD 20,000 or less (as defined by the World Bank). If you make it to the final three, you’ll be flown to London to attend the FPA Media Awards on 24 November 2025. There, in front of an audience of leading international editors and journalists, the winner will be revealed. 

While in London, you’ll also visit top newsrooms and meet some of the most influential voices in global journalism—an experience that has opened doors for many finalists and winners before you.

In 2024, the winner was a woman journalist from Afghanistan working in secret, recognised for her reporting of the brutality of life for women and girls living under the Taliban regime. To protect her safety, her identity was not disclosed publicly. The other finalists, Somaiyah Hafeez and Aisha Farrukh, both from Pakistan, were honoured for their powerful investigative work. Somaiyah’s report probed enforced disappearances in Balochistan, while Aisha’s documentary shed light on the exploitation of bonded labourers. 

This award is a reminder that our efforts are seen and valued, even when it feels like we’re fighting in the dark.

2025 competition – how to enter

To be eligible, you must be 30 years old or under on 24 November 2025 and be from—or working in—a country with a GNI per capita of USD 20,000 or less. If you're not reporting from your home country, you must be working in another country that meets the same GNI criteria. 

You must submit: 

• Three pieces of published or broadcast work, produced in the 12 months before 1 August 2025. These can be in print, audio, video, or multimedia format. 
• A written summary (no more than 200 words) for each piece, explaining the story and any impact it had in your country. 
• An explanation of any collaboration you undertook with colleagues or other organisations. 
• A verification letter from your editor, on official letterhead, confirming the work is yours and was published or broadcast. If you’re a freelancer, you can provide a letter from a commissioning editor or a journalism academic familiar with your work. 

If your work is in a language other than English, you must provide a verbatim English translation. Please note: all work will be checked for originality, and plagiarism will result in automatic disqualification. 

“Each year we receive entries from remarkable young journalists often working in challenging environments,” says Deborah Kelly Thomson’s Director of Training and Communications. “Many at the start of their careers in journalism have gone on to take leading roles in the industry. Their innovative storytelling and determined reporting show that the future of journalism is in powerful hands.” 
 
The award is run in partnership with the UK’s Foreign Press Association (FPA) and is part of the annual FPA Awards ceremony in London each November. 

For full details of the conditions and to enter the competition, click here.

For more on the Young Journalist Award and to see some of our winners from previous years, visit our competition page. 

Closing date: midnight (London time) on 1st August 2025