The 2026 Golden Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom award of the World Association of News Publishers (Wan-Ifra), will be awarded to the professional photographers and videographers working in Gaza.
The award, due to be made on 1 June during the opening day of the 2026 World News Media Congress taking place in Marseille, France, acknowledges the sacrifice and endurance of local Palestinian media professionals living and working in a war zone. It also recognizes colleagues injured and killed in the course of doing their job.
“For over two and a half years, journalists in Gaza have recorded death, destruction, and human suffering in unparalleled terms,” reads the award citation. “They are as much victims of the conflict as they are chroniclers of a war that erupted — and continues — around them.”
The outbreak of war, in response to deadly attacks launched by Hamas on 7th October 2023 that resulted in the largest loss of life in a single atrocity in the history of Israel, has since led to over 260 journalists being killed, the vast majority in Gaza. Research by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found at least 64 of these journalists were deliberately targeted by Israeli military forces — an act considered a war crime under international law. So far, limited official investigations have failed to offer justice to the families or colleagues of those killed.
Foreign media have largely been prevented from entering Gaza, unless under strict Israeli military supervision, and the burden of reporting the impact of the war — and the ensuing humanitarian crisis — has fallen squarely on Palestinian journalists in Gaza.
“There is no replacing brave, independent journalism. And there can be no replacement for journalists who day in, day out get the images out, often at appalling costs,” said David Walmsley, editor-in-chief of Canada’s Globe and Mail and president of the World Editors Forum, who will present the award. “The photo and video journalists of Gaza brought the world’s attention to a story that would otherwise have been suppressed.”
Wider understanding of the war “has been shaped by reliance on their sacrifice, dedication, and professionalism in desperate circumstances,” continues the award citation. “Their work has fuelled coverage of the devastation of Gaza and its people that has reached around the globe; their documentation will remain a visual testimony.”
The award will be received by representatives of the three main international news agencies operating in Gaza — Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, and Reuters — whose local journalists continue to provide consistent, professional coverage under extremely challenging conditions.
Highlighting the work of journalists in Gaza
Included in the World News Media Congress program, and as part of the Golden Pen of Freedom award presentation, Wan-Ifra will host an exclusive exhibition showcasing award-winning photographers whose work has informed global understanding of the war in Gaza.
Featuring a selection of images that capture the narrative of the conflict, and in particular the human tragedy underlying it, the exhibition is a collaboration between Agence France-Presse (AFP), The Associated Press (AP), and Reuters, and will be prominently displayed during the event.
The Congress program will also feature a special screening of the award-winning film ‘Inside Gaza’ on Tuesday, 2nd June, followed by a discussion on lessons learned from the crisis for newsrooms worldwide.
The documentary follows AFP’s team of Palestinian journalists in the aftermath of the 7th October attacks when the territory was closed off to the international media. The landmark documentary by Hélène Lam Trong offers a rare and unique insider’s view on the challenges of reporting from Gaza during the war.
Support to media professionals in Gaza
Wan-Ifra’s Media Freedom division has a longstanding commitment to supporting Palestinian colleagues as part of an international portfolio of programs and initiatives. Its Social Impact Reporting Initiative (SIRI) showcases public-interest journalism, providing flexible grants, mentoring, and editorial support to journalists and media organizations as part of Wan-Ifra’s flagship Women In News program.
In Gaza, this mission has taken on urgent meaning. Implemented in partnership with the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) and supported by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the initiative focuses specifically on freelance women journalists as they have become the backbone of reporting in Gaza.
SIRI Gaza combines reporting grants with intensive editorial mentorship, training in gender-sensitive storytelling, and access to safe workspaces and essential infrastructure. Since 2024, 60 freelance women journalists have been supported. Beyond content production, the program has helped journalists sustain their careers, rebuild professional confidence, and remain active in a collapsing media ecosystem. It has also contributed to more gender-sensitive and inclusive reporting on the war, challenging dominant narratives that often overlook the lived experiences of civilians.
A current round of SIRI Gaza is underway, supporting an additional 30 freelance women journalists.
The Golden Pen of Freedom is Wan-Ifra’s annual award recognizing individuals or organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to the defense and promotion of press freedom. One of the objectives of the Golden Pen is to turn the spotlight of public attention on repressive governments and the journalists who fight them.
The laureate is nominated from a shortlist of candidates by the board of the World Editors Forum, and confirmed by the board of Wan-Ifra. The first Golden Pen of Freedom was awarded in 1961 to Ahmet Emin Yalman of Turkey. Last year’s award recognized the Independent Press of Ukraine.
The only previous Palestinian laureate of the Pen was political cartoonist Naji al-Ali, awarded posthumously in 1988.
