The CIoJ Young Journalist of the Year Awards

The CIoJ Young Journalist of the Year Awards 2026

Designed to recognise outstanding achievements by journalists aged 30 and under, these awards celebrate excellence across various categories. Below each category summary you will find our finalists in each, along with a link to their submitted work.

Arts Journalist of the Year
This award covers:
Visual Arts: including architecture, ceramics, drawing, filmmaking, painting, photography, and sculpting.
Literary Arts: including fiction, drama. poetry and prose.
Performing Arts: including dance, music, and theatre.
Entries can include the analysis and assessment of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work, profiles, together with interviews.

Finalists: Katie Chambers (The Stage), Sofia de la Cruz (Wallpaper), Evie Glen (Metal Magazine)

Winner

Sofia de la Cruz, Wallpaper
Articles providing different perspectives on contemporary art capturing personal stories and inspiration in a clear journalistic style.

Business/Financial Journalist of the Year
This award will recognise entries highlighting the financial aspects of a particular company, sector or issue. This could involve funding for projects, companies’ finances, corporate governance or any other business elements of a sector. The judges will be seeking meaningful articles that clearly demonstrate an overall understanding of the sector, subject, and the needs of their readers, as well as sound business and financial outcomes.

Finalists: Nikou Asgari (Financial Times), Lucy Frost (International Financing Review), Sofia Gerace (MLex)

Winner

Nikou Asgari, Financial Times
Specialising in digital markets, including crypto currencies - she makes a complex subject comprehensible to a non-expert or sceptical reader. She reported on Donald Trump’s crypto ventures before the presidential election.

Commended

Lucy Frost, International Financing Review
Digging deeply into the details of the bond markets to discover stories with wider implications, linking corporate fundraising to defence spending or Grenfell remedies. Skilled at spotting angles in the small print and at turning them into clearly written copy.

Campaigning Journalist of the Year
The entry can be a series of articles, broadcasts or digital posts that have made a difference in society and serve the public interest. The campaign can focus on any sector, for instance: consumer affairs, personal finance, travel, health, business/financial and the public sector.

Finalists: Charlotte Anderson (Newsquest), Patricia Figueiredo (MLex)

Winner

Charlotte Anderson, Newsquest
Charlotte produced a campaign of professionally written highly effective journalism - outlining the crisis in Romford’s NHS A&E and the need for complete rebuilding. The series presented different perspectives and assured journalistic writing.

Commended

Patricia Figueiredo, MLex
The judges said Patricia produced high quality specialist journalism of a technical nature but affecting vulnerable people and with the potential for impact.

Political Correspondent of the Year
Entries should demonstrate journalistic skill and rigour, that is revelatory and which serves to inform the UK public interest. This category can include campaigns (i.e.; all three articles can cover different aspects of the same topic) that have scrutinised and brought new information to light on important issues.

Finalists: Jiji Ahn (BBC News), Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe (ITV National News), Amy Gibbons (The Telegraph)

Winner

Amy Gibbons, The Telegraph
A good old fashioned scoop revealed Angela Rayner had avoided paying council tax, on her grace and favour London flat, and the public footing the bill of at least £2,000 per year. Clear and consistent writing and a solid understanding of how to craft an impactful story.

Environment Journalist of the Year
Entrants need to clearly demonstrate that they have used research, and investigative skills on writing about any sector of the environment.
The three articles in this category can also form an investigative campaign on a single issue.

Finalists: Charlotte Anderson (Newsquest), Ellen Ormesher (DeSmog and E24)

Winner

Ellen Ormesher, DeSmog and E24
An ability to root out stories with sharply-honed investigative skills. Combined with strong interviews, on-the-ground reporting and clear writing, means she delivers stories with powerful impact. Her commitment to exposing the greenwashing of fossil fuel companies shines through – and her work has the potential to be shared many times.

Travel Journalist of the Year
Open to journalists covering travel across all forms: news and analysis, features and reviews, with originality and a deep understanding of the topic.

Finalists: Alice Barnes-Brown (Travel Weekly), Kira Richards (National Geographic Traveller UK / The Sunday Times), Annaliese Smith (The Independend / Wired for Adventure)

Winner

Kira Richards, National Geographic Traveller UK / The Sunday Times
Her writing provided everything one would wish to know as a traveller. Very well written, interesting, informative and extremely enticing.

News Reporter of the Year
Entries in this category should be accompanied by an explanation of no more than 150 words maximum per article, giving the background to the three articles submitted. For example, you may wish to explain that the story was an ‘exclusive’ or that the degree of research or teamwork required to produce the story was of particular merit.

Finalists: Charlotte Anderson (Newsquest), Isabel Clarke (Southwark News), Meghan Owen (BBC London)

Winner

Isabel Clarke, Southwark News
Representing local journalism at its best, offering impactful stories from shenanigans in Southwark politics – to access to Peckham station, a piece that forced a Network Rail U-turn.

Sports Journalist of the Year
The focus of this category is relevant to journalists who have used strong investigative skills in the world of sport that informs and serves the public interest.

Finalists: Jamie Barton (CNN Digital Sports, London), Aryan Jolly (The Real EFL/The Football Deck/Wisden), Joseph Ryan (Kent Standard/Football Writers’ Association)

Winner

Jamie Barton, CNN Digital Sports, London
A good style reflecting on back stories in sport. Cool and casual intros read well before hard hitting analysis of difficult subjects.

Feature Writer of the Year
Entries for this category should be accompanied by an explanation of no more than 150 words maximum per article, outlining the three articles relevance to current issues in any sector.
This category also allows for a series of articles (no more than three) on the same subject over two or more issues of a publication or online platform.

Finalists: Simon Ezra-Jackson (The Damned / The New World), Joseph Watt (Ultramarathon / The Offset), Annaliese Smith (Morehistory.com / Birmingham Dispatch / Discover Wildlife)

Winner

Simon Ezra-Jackson, The Damned / The New World
Impressive journalism tackling important subjects with excellent interviewing, assured investigative research, which was expressed with lively feature writing. It had all the Fs - fearless, factual, fair and fascinating.

Highly Commended

Joseph Watt, Ultramarathon / The Offset
Strong informative features full of human interest, offering compelling narratives, which were well-written and illustrated. The judges said it was professional and compelling feature journalism.

Show Biz Journalist of the Year
Open to journalists, interviewers and commentators who write about show business. Judges will be looking for best breaking news stories and most informed writing in show business which includes the worlds of stage, screen, TV and the music industry.

Finalists: Evie Glen (The List), Ella Kipling (TikTok / Daily Mirror)

Winner

Evie Glen, The List
A mature and individual writing style, very well targeted to the publication. There is an art to the theatre review and these impressively manage to get enough information into a small word count.

Health Journalist of the Year
Open to journalists who cover news and trends in health, related science, medical devices, healthcare, and wellbeing. The judges will look for originality and the ability to explain complex concepts with clarity.

Finalists: Amy Borrett (The Financial Times), Ella Kipling (Mirror / Wales Online), Eliza Slawther (Pink Sheet)

Winner

Amy Borett, Financial Times
An excellently crafted article. Engaging, well written and a pleasure to read. Ideal style for a national newspaper. Well researched and taking on the issue of ADHD in a new way with a different angle.

Young Journalist of the Year 2026

Winner

Charlotte Anderson, Newsquest
The judges were impressed with Charlotte’s ability to dig out and present stories, which were important to the local readership – and applied the standards expected from national media with greater resources, not only in clear good writing but in fairness and balance.

Any freelance relying on local media fees has to work hard. Charlotte certainly did. The diligence, good contacts and a keen nose for news clearly demonstrates a model for anyone hoping to break into journalism by freelancing for local media.

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