Meet our 2016 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist finalists
Journalists from Sudan, Pakistan and South Africa are on the shortlist for the Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award 2016.
The prize, now in its fourth year, is one of the highlights of the UK’s Foreign Press Association Awards and this year attracted more than 100 entries from 42 countries.
The trio going through for final judging are Yousra Elbagir, a freelance reporter from Sudan, Salman Yousafzai, a journalist for News Lens, Pakistan and Dawn.com, and Ancillar Mangena from South Africa writing for Forbes Africa Magazine. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 29.
The journalists were asked to submit three examples of their work and, following expressions of interest from countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, South America and Oceania, the entry list was reduced to 12 – all of whom will receive a certificate from the Thomson Foundation.
We have been privileged to have access to panoply of stories from places as far afield as Costa Rica and Nepal to Senegal and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Salman Yousafzai
Salman’s submissions include a story about a pro-government militia called Tuheed ul Islam located on the border with Afghanistan in the Khyber Agency of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA); the problems arising from worsening meth addiction in Peshawar, where drug peddlers are promoting heroin in crystal and ice form, and a piece on how smuggling in Peshawar is a source of financing terrorism in Pakistan.
Ancillar Mangena
The contributions from Ancillar Mangena include a daring excursion to Dundee, a small town in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, the scene of brutal murders, where she spoke to residents about housing corruption who said that “the gun rules” in the area; a story doubting the claims that Prophet Walter Magaya can heal people, which led to 61 threats and a decision to deactivate her social media account, and coverage of Zimbabwe Shutdown – a demonstration against Robert Mugabe.
Yousra Elbagir
Whilst curating the Sudan Voices Twitter account young journalist Yousra Elbagir initiated and moderated a debate using the hashtag #SudanUnderSanction – asking Sudanese people on Twitter to discuss their experiences facing 19 years under US sanctions and trade embargo. Her second submission covers the counter insurgency campaign in southern Sudan through the eyes of displaced local Nuba, who are struggling to preserve their cultural identity, focusing on the Nuba Beauty Queen and a debate about natural beauty standards in a country where skin bleaching has become the norm. An account of how Sudan has become an unlikely haven for Syrian refugees is Yousra’s third story.
Rooting out the truth
Said Thomson Foundation chief executive, Nigel Baker: “The common factor in all these submissions is the rigour, determination and ingenuity of these young journalists to root out the truth and cover stories – often in dangerous circumstances – which are of vital interest to their communities. It bodes well for the future of journalism in the developing world.”
The award invited journalists aged 30 or under from countries with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of less than $20,000 to enter their work for scrutiny by the Foundation – the world’s longest established international media development organisation – and then the FPA judges.
Each entrant for the award had to submit a portfolio of three published pieces of work produced in the 12 months preceding the deadline for submissions. They could be in any format – print, audio, video, multimedia or a combination of all four.
The journalists who entered were also asked to submit a written statement of no more than 600 words giving a summary of the content of each story and any impact it had on the public debate in the country of publication
The three finalists will be flown to London, spend two nights in the city and attend the gala award night at the Sheraton Park Hotel, along with a host of other potential award winners and leading figures from the world of journalism.
Highly commended:
It was an impressive achievement on the part of all 12 shortlisted applicants, in a competition which received over 100 applications from 42 different countries. Congratulations, also, to the following young journalists:
Artsiom Harbatsevich, Belarus
Miguel Krumholtz, Costa Rica
Ahmed Atef Ramadan, Egypt
Ayesha Shakya, Nepal
Kolawole Talabi, Nigeria
Maham Javaid, Pakistan
Umer Ali, Pakistan
Daham Alasaad, Syria
Petride Mudoola, Uganda
Yousra Elbagir, Sudan
“I want to move past the overworked images of famine, poverty and war in Africa”
Ancillar Mangena, South Africa
“A month after my whistleblowers article I was putting my life at risk again”
