Highlights from the 37th One World Media Awards Ceremony
London, Wednesday 25 June 2025:
Against a backdrop of escalating geopolitical tensions, climate shocks and conflict, the 37th One World Media Awards, hosted by Sky News presenter Gillian Joseph, celebrated the journalists and filmmakers taking risks and demonstrating bravery to tell vital stories from and about the global south. The Awards recognised work across 13 categories spanning print, broadcast, audio, digital and multimedia platforms.
Nominations this year covered a wide range of topics, from the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Haiti, to lesser-known stories such as the tens of thousands of Chinese migrants making the dangerous journey through South America to the US for a new life, and Mallah women fighting caste hierarchy and sex slavery in Bihar. Submissions came from independent outlets including Outlaw Ocean Project, Mongabay, The Dial, and The Republic, as well as major newsrooms such as the BBC and Channel 4.
Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), the leading non-profit organisation dedicated to investigative journalism and fact-checking across the Arab world, received the Press Freedom Award for their innovative approach to journalistic collaboration and investigative journalism in a region with limited media freedom.
Basement Films won the Current Affairs category for Kill Zone: Inside Gaza, which depicts the heartbreaking human toll of the conflict in Gaza, now airing on Channel 4. Breaking The Nets won the Innovative Storytelling award for their five-part digital series chronicling the discriminations India’s fisherwomen have faced and challenged. The Women’s Solutions Reporting Award, Supported by the European Investment Bank, was awarded to Songs from Inside, which tells the remarkable true story of three women inside Iran’s notorious Evin Prison. A full list of the 2025 One World Media Awards winners can be found here.
The Awards honoured work in categories including Environmental Reporting, Innovative Storytelling, Refugee Reporting and Women’s Solutions Reporting with stories confronting the causes of human suffering, exposing wrongdoing and identifying solutions that must be seen, heard and supported.
One World Media Director, Vivienne Francis, said:
“It is as important as ever to celebrate the journalists and filmmakers who risk so much to bring us nuanced and in-depth storytelling, especially against a backdrop of intensifying global conflict and shrinking media freedom. Last night was a moment for just that, to honour their creativity, courage and commitment.”
During the ceremony, One World Media Director Vivienne Francis also launched the 2025 One World Media Fellowship and announced the continued partnership between the Financial Times, the Pulitzer Center and One World Media, with a new grant of up to £20,000 for a documentary maker based in the global south to produce a film about global health.
Pulitzer Center’s Executive Editor, Marina Walker Guevara, said:
“The Pulitzer Center is thrilled to continue its partnership with One World Media and the Financial Times in 2025 to explore global health inequities through storytelling. We look forward to partnering with a filmmaker in the global South to explain how health systems function—and fail—in ways that shape everyday lives, and to explore some of the emerging solutions.”
Margaret Carroll, acting Head of the European Investment Bank Social Policy Unit, and a judge for the Women’s Solutions Reporting Award, said:
“This year again, from Bangladesh to Ethiopia, remarkable stories showcased women’s efforts in shaping society and fighting for their rights. As the push for global gender equality continues, these stories remain a powerful source of inspiration.”
For further information, interviews or images, please contact Alexandra Bingham ([email protected])
To find out more about the One World Media Awards please visit: oneworldmedia.org.uk/awards