LONDON/GENEVA 20 November – Save the Children is proud to announce the winners of its inaugural Global Media Awards 2024 on World Children’s Day, to celebrate excellence in journalism focused on child rights and the dedicated journalists who bring these important stories to light.

The awards were launched in honour of the centennial year since the first Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child–drafted by Save the Children founder Eglantyne Jebb—was adopted by the League of Nations in 1924.  She was the first person to articulate that children are people, not the possessions of adults, and therefore deserve to have their own fundamental rights.

The winning entries represent investigative reporting that has not only exposed grave child rights violations but has also driven meaningful change for children:

• BBC Panorama won the award for best Local/Regional Coverage on Child Rights for Undercover School: Cruelty in the Classroom – an investigative documentary into an independent school for children with special educational needs in the UK, revealing shocking instances of bullying and abuse. Following the broadcast, the school was closed, five staff members were arrested, and the Department for Education launched an investigation.

• The Guardian won the award for best International/Wire Coverage on Children Rights for How child labour in India makes the paving stones beneath our feet – an investigative article into the exploitation of child labour in India’s sandstone industry, where stones are produced for paving in Europe and North America. Following publication, the article sparked lawsuits from British law firms against multinational companies and became a central reference in a roundtable conference in London, urging businesses to address child labour in their supply chains.

 "The two winning entries are not just media stories – they are powerful catalysts for change for advancing children’s rights,” said Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International. “In a world where child rights violations too often go unseen, these award-winning pieces have brought the issue to the forefront, amplified children’s voices, and generated meaningful change. They are  examples of how powerful journalism can create real impact for children. 

“We congratulate the winners on their remarkable achievements and extend our gratitude to the children featured in these pieces, who bravely shared their stories of child rights violations with the world.”

The awards attracted nearly 350 entries from journalists in every region where Save the Children works, spanning diverse topics from education to protection and climate change. Judges evaluated the entries based on compelling storytelling and relevance, adherence to child safeguarding, and tangible impact on advancing child rights

The panel of Global Media Award judges featured a diverse group of experts in international and national journalism:

• Waad Al-Kateab, a Syrian activist and award-winning filmmaker, whose debut feature film, For Sama, won a BAFTA for Best Documentary and received a nomination at the Academy Awards 2020.
• Sorin Furcoi, a senior photographer and photo editor with Al Jazeera based in Qatar. Sorin’s work is known for its depth and ability to capture the essence of the events he covers, often bringing attention to human rights and cultural stories through powerful visual storytelling.
• Will Grant, one of the UK’s leading broadcast journalists on Latin American affairs. He has been a BBC correspondent in Latin America since 2007 with successive deployments to Venezuela, Mexico and Cuba. Across his career, he has been responsible for covering the region from Patagonia to the Rio Grande and has travelled to every part of the continent in that time. He is currently based in Mexico City.
• Zyma Islam, a senior reporter with The Daily Star with a passion for the use of data in story-telling. She specialises in rights violations by the state and law enforcement agencies, with a focus on torture, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and repressive legislation.
• Caroline Kimeu, the Guardian’s East Africa Correspondent. She has covered stories on human rights, development and environmental issues across the region. She holds graduate degrees in law and journalism from Harvard and Columbia.
• Sola Ogundipe, Health Editor at Vanguard Newspapers, is a seasoned health and science reporter with a strong focus on reproductive health issues. He has been covering the health beat for decades and is known for his objectivity and credibility in the Nigerian media and national health industry.
• Julia Ross-Roy, a producer on the BBC World Service podcast What in the World -  a daily global news podcast for 16-25 year olds/Gen Z around the world. What in the World aims to explain what’s going on in the news, covering topics that are of interest to a young audience. Before this, Julia worked as a producer on BBC World Service and Radio 4 news programmes for over ten years.
• Marie Segger, a data journalist for The Economist. She is the editor of The Economist’s data newsletter “Off the Charts” and covers a broad range of subjects from a quantitative perspective. She often reports on inequality, politics and cultural trends. Marie is an experienced public speaker who regularly gives talks and guest lectures about journalism and data.

The Winners:

• Local/Regional Category: BBC One “Panorama: Undercover School: Cruelty in the Classroom” – Ruth Evans, Sasha Hinde, Oliver Newlan and Hayley Clarke
• International/Wire Category: The Guardian: “How child labour in India makes the paving stones beneath our feet” – Romita Saluja

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent children’s organisation, working with children, their communities, and our partners worldwide, to help ensure that children around the world have a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Every year, we reach tens of millions of children in more than 110 countries through our life-changing work. 

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For more information on the awards, please visit the Save the Children Global Media Awards website: www.savemediaawards.com