Deadline: June 14, 2026
Applications are open for the Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism 2026. The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund (KSMF) invites freelance journalists, local reporters and news fixers from around the world to submit entries for the 25th annual Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism.
The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund was set up in memory of American journalist Kurt Schork, who was killed in a military ambush while reporting in Sierra Leone in 2000. It exists to keep the world aware of the debt we owe to brave journalists who engage in courageous reporting of conflict, corruption, injustice and human rights transgressions.
The annual Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism honour the work of freelance journalists, local reporters and news fixers in developing countries or nations in transition, whose work is often poorly paid, mostly unsung and frequently fraught with danger.
Categories
The three award categories, open to those reporting for print and online publications, recognise the media professionals that Kurt particularly admired:
- Freelance Award: recognising freelance journalists who travel to the world’s conflict zones, usually at great personal risk, to witness and report on the impact and consequences of these events.
- Local Reporter Award: recognising the often-overlooked work of journalists in developing nations, or countries in transition, who write about events in their homeland.
- News Fixer Award: recognising the work of local journalists or experts, typically hired by foreign correspondents, whose guidance and local knowledge play an unsung but vital role in facilitating international coverage from difficult, dangerous or hostile locations.
Awards
- The Awards recognise excellence and courage in reporting conflict, corruption, injustice and human rights issues, with winners receiving a $5,000 cash prize.
Eligibility
- Open to journalists from around the world.
- Entrants for the Local Reporter and Freelance Awards must submit three articles each, published between June 01, 2025 and June 14, 2026. The judges will look for journalistic excellence in applicants’ submissions and evidence of determination and courage in obtaining their stories.
Application
Click on the award and apply:
For more information, visit Kurt Schork Awards.
