Last week, social media was flooded with the news of Sudanese journalist Almigdad Hassan receiving the Newcomer of the Year – Hans Verploeg Award 2025 at the Free Press Awards 2025.
He received the award from Free Press Unlimited, an international press freedom organisation, 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.
Many praised Hassan and his reporting, saying he was worthy of the award and it is well-deserved. 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, delivered raw frontline reporting from bombed buildings and active combat zones.
Reporting on Sudan: Non-Sudanese vs Sudanese Journalists
Hassan joins a growing list of Sudanese journalists who have been recognised by international media organisations for their work. In recent years, an increasing number of Sudanese journalists have received awards for their exceptional reporting on Sudan. Only a few years ago, there were just a handful of Sudanese journalists working for international media outlets. Today, however, many Sudanese journalists, writers, and media professionals, such as Swar Al Dahab, Ismail Kushkush, Mayada Abdo, Mohanad Hashim, Nesrine Elmalik, Reem Abbas, Amjad Al Nour, Dalia Haj-Omar, Kholood Khair, and Sarah Elhassan, among others, are reporting on Sudan’s political landscape and ongoing conflicts and at times, the wider region through their work with a range of Arabic- and English-language news organisations. Also playing a significant role in reporting on Sudan is South Sudanese journalist Hibatallah Morgan, better known as Hiba Morgan, Al Jazeera’s Sudan and South Sudan correspondent, reporter, and producer, who has been based primarily in Khartoum since the 2019 revolution.
Prior to the emergence of this new generation of Sudanese media personalities, reporting on Sudan was, for many years, dominated by non-Sudanese journalists, who were often the ones receiving recognition, merit, and awards for their coverage of the country. American journalist and political commentator Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, has extensively covered conflict, genocide, and humanitarian crises in Sudan and South Sudan for more than two decades. South African photojournalist Kevin Carter won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for his 1993 photograph The Vulture and the Child, published in The New York Times, depicting a frail famine-stricken child in Sudan collapsed in the ground with a vulture nearby eyeing the child. Unfortunately, despite its acclaim, the intense criticism surrounding the image contributed to his depression, and he died by suicide in 1994. More recently, Irish author and journalist Declan Walsh, the chief Africa correspondent for The New York Times, won the 2024 James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism and a Pulitzer Prize in 2025 for his reporting on the war in Sudan. In the same year, Egyptian journalist Samar Ibrahim received the Mohamed Issa El Sharkawy Award for Foreign Coverage.
Journalists do not need to be from a particular country in order to report on it. In fact, journalists are trained to be objective and neutral, regardless of the subject they cover. Being from the country one is reporting on should not be seen as a limitation, as journalists are professionally obligated to tell the truth with objectivity and balance. However, there are moments when it does matter for a journalist to be from the country they are reporting on. Local journalists often communicate more easily with communities and possess a deeper understanding of the country, its people, and its culture. This proximity allows for more nuanced, accurate, and human storytelling.
As I previously wrote in my column Sudanese Storytelling: A Renaissance in the Midst, “We are owning the narrative. We are educating and informing not only the world, but also our own people. This is essential, because we bring authentic voices and real stories that counter misinformation and disinformation … Growing up, the stories about Sudan were often told by people who did not look like us. But today, whether on television with journalists such as Yousra Elbagir and Swar Al Dahab, or across digital platforms with content creators like Abir Ibrahim and Yusra Yousif, Sudanese voices are reshaping how our story is told, and how it is understood.”
Awarded Sudanese Journalists
In recent years, Sudanese journalists have increasingly been recognised with international awards for their exceptional reporting on Sudan. Sudanese journalist Mohammed Amin, who specialises in geopolitics and human rights abuses in Sudan, South Sudan, and the wider Horn of Africa, won the prestigious Martin Adler Prize in 2022. The award, presented by the Rory Peck Trust, recognised his work as a freelance correspondent for Middle East Eye reporting from Sudan. In 2025, the Africa Editors Forum (TAEF) named Sudanese journalist Durra Mohammed Gambo as the 2025 laureate of its Service to Journalism Award. Sudanese journalist Amal Habbani was recognised by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in 2018 for her courageous journalism, while Sudanese journalist and activist Lubna Hussein received the Mahfoutha Prize in 2009 for her advocacy and reporting.
Sudanese-British journalists and sisters Nima and Yousra Elbagir are among today’s most recognised and accomplished journalists, both in Sudan and internationally. CNN senior international correspondent Nima has also received major accolades, including the RTS Television Journalist of the Year Award and the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award, among others. Her sister, Sky News’ Africa correspondent Yousra, has been honoured with the Thompson Foundation’s Young Journalist Award (2016) and was named a recipient of the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Courage in Journalism Award in 2025.
The most decorated Sudanese journalist is Zeinab Badawi, whose distinguished career in international broadcasting has earned her numerous lifetime and excellence awards such as the President’s Medal of the British Academy (2018); Lifetime Achievement Award (2021), and Sir Brian Urquhart Award (2020), for her contributions to journalism, African affairs, and global media.
Why Recognition Matters
In the absence of local awards or formal systems of recognition, journalists and other media professionals often have little choice but to look to international journalism and human rights platforms, such as the Free Press Awards, The Press Awards (formerly the British Press Awards), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and the Thompson Foundation, for acknowledgement of their work.
For Sudanese journalists working within Sudan for local media organisations, recognition is largely limited to public visibility and popularity. For some, success is measured through salary, demand for their skills across other opportunities, or the size and influence of their social media following.
It important to note that due to the lack of freedom of press and freedom of speech in Sudan, many Sudanese journalists working for local media organisation have been arrested, tortured or even killed for telling the truth, throughout history. Since the war began in Sudan in 2023, many Sudanese journalists have been silenced, arrested, kidnapped or killed. Journalist Muammar Ibrahim, who has been reporting from Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has been detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since October 2025 as they advanced in Al Fasher, raising ongoing concerns about his safety and prompting constant calls for his release. Many fear that he already been killed.
Yesterday in Paris, the name of kidnapped ajournalist Muammar Ibrahim echoed through the streets as Sudanese protesters denounced the UAE’s crimes against humanity..
— S A M A H𓃰❁ (@SimsimAlbadri) February 8, 2026
OVER 100 DAYS OF ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE!! pic.twitter.com/eRZVEVJ1S3
The success of Sudanese journalists is, in many ways, a reflection of Sudanese success more broadly. Long in need of moments of pride, Sudanese people have consistently celebrated the achievements of their own. In recent years, the term Sudanese Excellence emerged, largely on social media, to highlight and celebrate Sudanese individuals excelling in their fields, whether at home or in the diaspora. The hashtag #SudaneseExcellence became a way to spotlight these successes, driven by a shared feeling that Sudanese talent has historically been overlooked or under-recognised. While the term itself has faded somewhat, the sentiment behind it remains. This is slowly changing as more Sudanese individuals continue to excel across disciplines, drawing global attention to both their work and their country. Today, Sudanese achievements are becoming increasingly numerous, regardless of the field.
Before the rise of Sudanese Excellence, I experienced this phenomenon firsthand as a young journalism student. In 2011, I ran a blog and published a piece titled Sudanese Who Made It Big, a list celebrating Sudanese individuals who had achieved remarkable international recognition in fields ranging from business and media to academia, acting, music, fashion, and sport. It went viral and due to the high volume of suggestions from readers in the comments, I continued updating the list for years. Eventually, I stopped because the scale and pace of Sudanese achievements had simply become impossible to keep up with. In many ways, the blog post was created to celebrate successful Sudanese individuals; but in the absence of award platforms or formal systems of recognition, I also wanted the list itself to serve as that platform.
Recognition in all its forms, whether through words, certificates, or awards, matters because it serves as a benchmark of excellence and provides essential acknowledgement of hard work, boosts morale, strengthens credibility and motivates individuals. It also inspires others to follow in the footsteps of those who receive recognition — or at least strive to.
Note: This piece has been updated to add information on South African photojournalist Kevin Carter.
Ola Diab is the new founder and editor of 500 Words Magazine, and the deputy editor of Marhaba Information Guide, Qatar’s premier information guide. Based in Qatar, the Sudanese journalist graduated from Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and has since built a successful career in the print and digital media industry in Qatar. Find her on X (formerly Twitter) @therealoladiab or on LinkedIn.
