Call for The Kurt Schork Freelance Award in International Journalism 2026 !! Apply now !!!
The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund (KSMF) is now accepting submissions for its 2026 Awards in International Journalism. The Freelance Award is open to journalists who travel the world’s conflict zones, usually at great personal risk, to witness and report on the impact and consequences of these events.
The Kurt Schork Awards are intended to recognize the work of professional journalists.
The awards recognize excellence and courage in reporting conflict, corruption, injustice, and human rights issues, with winners receiving a $5,000 cash prize. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports the number of journalists killed in 2025 reached 93—the second highest total since the records began. As levels of violence and intimidation against media professionals surge, this recognition remains as vital as ever.
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Named in memory of American freelance journalist Kurt Schork, who was killed in 2000 while on assignment for Reuters in Sierra Leone, the awards recognize the bravery of journalists who take great personal risk, often for little reward, to shine a light on the truth and hold power to account.
The three award categories, open to those reporting for print and online publications, recognize the media professionals that Kurt particularly admired:
- Freelance Award: Recognizing 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: Recognizing the often-overlooked work of journalists in developing nations, or countries in transition, who write about events in their homeland.
- News Fixer Award: Recognizing 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.
Entrants for the 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.
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They require that each article be provided as a text file, MS Word (.doc or .docx) or similar text format (.rtf), or a PDF of a text file. Applicants may also supply a URL link of their article(s) or a scan (as a PDF or JPG file) as supporting evidence of the publication context
The entry will be disqualified if they do not also submit the required text files. The maximum file size for text submissions or scans is 5 MB. Entrants must complete the online entry form (or a PDF for printing and posting if not possible).
The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund (KSMF) is now in their 24th year; the awards honor American freelance journalist Kurt Schork. He 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.
Benefits
- Cash prize of $5,000
- Visibility & Recognition
Eligibilities
- Entrants to the Freelance Award must submit three articles each.
- The submitted articles must have been published between June 01, 2025, and June 14, 2026.
- Accepted media: any print-based medium, such as newspapers and magazines, or established online publications.
- Blogs, personal websites and social media pages or channels are not accepted.
- Articles can encompass war reporting, human rights issues, cross-border troubles, corruption or other controversial matters impacting people’s lives.
Application Process
- Applicants are required to complete their application process by providing necessary information and following documents in the “apply link” given below
- A CV or résumé about education and journalism careers.
- A passport-quality photo (JPEG, GIF, or PNG file, size no larger than 250Kb)
- A high-standard English translation if the original articles are not in English.
- A short statement explaining what applicants had to do to get the story.
Application Deadline: June 13, 2026 (11 Days Remaining)
Apply nowOfficial link
