On 1 July 2025, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) announced the recipients of its 36th annual Courage in Journalism Awards, honouring Sudanese-British international broadcast journalist Yousra Elbagir and other women who have reported under duress to expose the truth.
In addition to Elbagir, the 2025 honourees include Sana Atef, operating under a pseudonym from Afghanistan; Juliana Dal Piva, a Brazilian investigative journalist; and US-Mexican news service founder Maritza L Félix.
‘The IWMF honours Aynur, Juliana, Maritza, Sana and Yousra this year because of the lengths they’ve gone to report and the odds they’ve faced to cover issues that define today’s world,’ said IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Muñoz. ‘In a time when press freedom is under siege, the courage of these women cuts through silence and fear. Journalism like theirs doesn’t just inform – it defends democracy.’
‘These year’s Courage Award winners have inspired remarkable impact while facing retaliation in the world’s most dangerous places to report,’ said the selection committee of the 2025 IWMF Courage in Journalism Awards. ‘Each awardee has persevered to tell the stories of people who have been censored and repressed with care and fortitude. It is an honour to recognise these five women for their outstanding contributions to journalism.’
The 2025 IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winners will be recognised during a three luncheons in different cities in the US – in New York City on 10 November, in Washington, DC on 18 November, and in Los Angeles on 20 November 2025.
For more than three decades, the IWMF’s Courage in Journalism Awards have highlighted remarkable achievements in reporting that help global audiences better understand the world and expose otherwise hidden truths. The Courage in Journalism Awards are made possible by Bank of America, the awards’ National Presenting Sponsor for 19 consecutive years.
Elbagir is Sky News’ Africa correspondent, covering major events and stories from across the continent, specifically Sudan. She has reported on social, cultural and political movements worldwide. Most notably, the 2019 youth-led revolution in Sudan and the global reckoning of Black Lives Matter in Europe and South America in 2020. Before joining Sky News, Elbagir was a foreign news reporter for Channel 4 News and international correspondent for Vice News Tonight on HBO, making documentary-style news films.
For more information, visit iwmf.org
