Journalist Almigdad Hassan has received the Newcomer of the Year – Hans Verploeg Award 2025 at the Free Press Awards 2025 by Free Press Unlimited, an international press freedom organisation that collaborates with over 300 media partners worldwide, to make independent news and information available to everyone.
He received the award on 3 February 2026 during Free Press Live, an annual event dedicated to press freedom, independent journalism, and the global fight for access to truthful information in Nieuwspoort in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The jury for this year’s awards cited “Almigdad’ s dedication, courage, and ability to deliver compelling, accurate reporting under extreme conditions,” which earned him the award. Hassan said, “This award belongs first to Sudan — to its people enduring unimaginable suffering yet refusing to lose their humanity. My journey from pharmacy to journalism during war is a gift from God, strengthened by my family’s unwavering support, friends, colleagues, and Al Arabiya Network, especially my colleagues in the Sudan bureau. I’m deeply grateful to Free Press Unlimited for this recognition and to those who nominated me.”
Hassan documented the moment live on his Facebook page.
A correspondent for Al Arabiya Network in Sudan, Hassan is one of the very few Sudanese journalists who remained in Khartoum when the war broke out in 2023. “Working almost entirely with his iPhone, he delivered raw frontline reporting from bombed buildings and active combat zones, becoming a crucial source for multiple Arab media outlets. His images helped make an otherwise invisible war visible to millions,” Free Press Unlimited stated.
The Free Press Awards 2025 also awarded Azerbaijani journalist Ulviyya Guliyeva the Most Resilient Journalist Award 2025. “She has continued her work under extreme repression and personal risk. At the time of receiving this award, Guliyeva has been unjustly detained for months at the Baku Detention Center, yet she persists in reporting from inside prison without medical care, documenting human rights violations, interviewing fellow political prisoners, and ensuring that the truth does not fall silent. The jury recognises Guliyeva’s extraordinary personal and professional courage, her unwavering commitment to journalism despite physical violence, detention, and the loss of her formal platform, and the significant societal impact of her work. Even behind bars, Guliyeva continues to inform, to resist, and to inspire,” Free Press Unlimited stated.
According to Free Press Unlimited, from all nominations, the jury selected journalists whose work stood out for its impact, courage, quality, and perseverance. While every nominated journalist showed remarkable dedication to independent journalism, these two winners exemplify what the Free Press Awards seek to honour: journalists who continue to serve the public interest under immense pressure.
Free Press Unlimited announced the nominees for the Free Press Awards on 7 January 2026. In addition to Hassan and Guliyeva, three other journalists have been nominated. Aldulwaheed Sofiullahi (Nigeria) and Thomas Mukhwana Dishon (Kenya) were nominated in the Newcomer of the Year category, while Christina Assi (Lebanon) were nominated in the Most Resilient Journalist category.
In an Instagram post published on 9 January 2026, Hassan attributed his nomination to the decorated Sudanese-American journalist Ismail Kushkush, who has contributed to The New York Times, CNN, the Associated Press (AP), Reuters, Guernica Magazine, Voice of America, and Al Jazeera English.
Organised annually by Free Press Unlimited, the Free Press Awards honour journalists who demonstrate exceptional courage, integrity, and commitment to press freedom, often under extreme pressure.
For more information, visit freepressunlimited.org.
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