Call for nominations: IPI-IMS press freedom awards

The International Press Institute (IPI) and International Media Support (IMS) are inviting nominations for the 2026 World Press Freedom Hero Award and Free Media Pioneer Award.They will present the awards at a special event at the Gabo Festival (July 24-26, Bogotá, Colombia), the leading event for journalists in Ibero-America.

Thematics

• IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero Award: This award honours journalists who have made significant contributions to the promotion of press freedom, particularly in the face of great personal risk.
• The IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award: This Award honours organisations or media communities who meet demands of the moment through innovative models of journalism, media, or press freedom defence. They open up new ways of thinking about the free flow of information to strengthen independent journalism.

Eligibility

• Only individuals are eligible for the World Press Freedom Hero Award category.
• For the Free Media Pioneer Award, teams, news outlets, or other media-related organisations, and organisations defending press freedom are eligible.
• Please note that the organisers do not permit self-nominations , though you may nominate someone within your own organisation.

How to apply

Applications should be made using the respective nomination forms for each award category:

• World Press Freedom Hero Award (form)
• Free Media Pioneer Award (form)

The last date to make nominations is March 20 (23:59 CEST).

For more information, please visit this page.