Could your journalism reach an international stage?
Entries are now open for the Thomson Foundation’s Young Journalist Award 2026, one of the most prestigious opportunities for emerging journalists from across the world.
If you are 30 or under and reporting from a country with a Gross National Income (GNI) per capita of USD 20,000 or less, this is your chance to put your best work in front of international judges, editors and journalists.
Three finalists will be invited to London to attend the Foreign Press Association Media Awards on 30 November 2026, where the winner will be announced before an audience of leading figures in global journalism. While in the UK, finalists will also visit major newsrooms and take part in a bespoke training session designed to help them strengthen their reporting skills and professional networks.
For many past winners and finalists, the award has been more than a moment of recognition. It has given their work an international platform, opened new professional opportunities and connected them with journalists working across borders, beats and formats.
The award has received almost 4,000 entries since it was launched 14 years ago, recognising powerful reporting from countries including Kenya, Afghanistan, India, Lebanon, Malaysia, Peru and Sudan.
Past winners include Yousra Elbagir, the 2016 winner, who is now Sky News’ Africa correspondent. Other recent winners have reported from some of the world’s most difficult environments, often at considerable personal risk, telling stories that might otherwise go unheard.
The 2025 winner, Tracy Bonareri Onchoke from Kenya, was praised by judges for her “rigour, persistence and a strong commitment to accountability journalism”. Her winning portfolio included an investigation into why hundreds of law students in Kenya were failing the bar exam.
“Winning has opened up new opportunities for me, including connecting with other journalists to collaborate on projects,” said Tracy.
Winning has opened up new opportunities for me, including connecting with other journalists to collaborate on projects.
What could the award mean for you?
If selected, you get the chance to bring your reporting to a wider international audience.
You get the chance to be recognised for journalism that has exposed wrongdoing, challenged injustice, explained complex issues, or given voice to people whose experiences are too often ignored.
You get the chance to stand alongside other young journalists whose work shows why independent, public interest journalism matters.
Whether your work is investigative, human-centred, visual, audio-led, data-informed or multimedia, we want to see journalism with originality, courage and impact.
How to enter
To be eligible, you must:
- Be 30 or under on 30 November 2026
- Be from, or reporting in, a country with a GNI per capita of USD 20,000 or less
- Submit three pieces of published or broadcast work, produced in the 12 months before 9 August 2026. These can be in print, audio, video or multimedia format
- Send a verification letter from your editor, on official letterhead, confirming the work is yours and was published or broadcast. Freelancers can provide a letter from a commissioning editor or a journalism academic familiar with their work
Entries close on 9 August 2026.
Your reporting deserves to be seen.
Click here to enter the Thomson Young Journalist Award 2026 today.
