- Rory Peck Awards honour freelancers covering news in conflict areas
- Nine freelance journalists recognised for their dedication and bravery
- Winners will be honoured at the awards ceremony in London on 7 November
Freelance journalists covering stories on suicide, war, disease and corruption from Nicaragua, Syria, Sierra Leone and Yemen have been shortlisted as finalists for the 2019 Rory Peck Awards.
Established in 1995, the Rory Peck Awards are the only awards which honour and celebrate the work of freelance video journalists, filmmakers and news camera operators.
Finalists work independently to uncover stories that support international newsgathering and the public’s understanding of the world.
The Rory Peck Trust helps to safeguard and strengthen independent journalism by providing practical and financial support to freelance journalists and their families worldwide.
The Trust announced the finalists and said: “All nine pieces reflect the dedication, bravery and deep sense of commitment shared by freelance journalists everywhere.”
Rory Peck 2019 Award finalists:
The Rory Peck Award for News honours the work of freelance camera operators in the coverage of a news event where the focus is on the immediacy of the story.
Finalists include Mikel Konate for Survivor Stories from Syria, Mikhail Galustov for Inside ISIS’s Final Fight and Luis Sequeira for Makeshift mortars vs bare bullets as Nicaragua resist an authoritarian regime.
The judging panel includes executives from Sky News, Google, AP, BBC and CBS.
The Rory Peck Award for News Features honours the work of freelance camera operators in news features that look beyond the immediacy of the news.
Finalists include Paul Myles and Zoë Jewell Night Shift on Malaria’s Frontline in Sierra Leone, Peter Murimi for Suicide Stories: Are Kenya’s Men in Crisis? And Benjamin Foley for The Battle of Hodeidah.
The judging panel includes executives from Channel 4, VICE, NBC and Reuters.
The Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs honours the work of freelance camera operators in long-form current affairs that examines a single issue, story or situation and has an impact on the viewer, policy, or public awareness.
Finalists include Martin Boudot and Mathias Denizo for their film Paraguay: Poisoned Fields, Matthew Cassel for The Missing and Rodrigo Vázquez for Frontline Nicaragua.
Sony Professional Solutions Europe head of media solutions Hiroshi Kajita said: “In a turbulent year for news and current affairs reporting, the contribution of freelance journalism has never been more important.
“The finalists of this year’s ‘Sony Impact Award for Current Affairs’ showcase the enduring individual contributions to current affairs reporting, in challenging locations and with unique subject matters.
“Despite their differences, all three films are united by the power of their storytelling and the emotion that these images provoke in the viewer. Driven by what the power of image can achieve, we are proud to support their significant work and that of the Rory Peck Trust.”
The Martin Adler Prize honours a local freelance journalist or field producer whose work with international media outlets has made a significant contribution to newsgathering, either through a single story or body of work.
The aim of the prize is to highlight the dedication and talent of local freelancers who often work under challenging and difficult circumstances within their own country, and who go largely unrecognised. This year the prize will focus on local freelance journalists or field producers whose work has made a valuable contribution to newsgathering.
This is a non-competitive prize, awarded by the Trustees of the Rory Peck Trust.
This year’s Rory Peck Awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 7 November 2019 at London’s BFI Southbank.
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