The Rory Peck Awards recognize independent professionals working behind the camera in the world of news

Award-winning freelancers include American Roopa Gogineni and Norwegian Deeyah Khan, while the Martin Adler Prize was awarded posthumously to Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The award in the News category was awarded to Spanish photojournalist Mikel Konate.

Los Premios Rory Peck 2018 have recognized for yet another year the work of independent professionals in the world of global news and current events. These awards are dedicated exclusively to independent professionals working behind the camera in the world of global news and current affairs. Established in 1995 in honor of freelance cameraman Rory Peck, who was murdered in Moscow in 1993, the awards have become a highly prestigious event in the news and audiovisual calendar, attracting many of the world's best journalists, videojournalists and filmmakers.

The ceremony that took place last Sunday was hosted by Alex Crawford (Sky News) and Jeremy Bowen (BBC) at the BFI grounds on London's Southbank. Among the awarded independent professionals were the americana Roopa Gogineni y la noruega Deeyah Khan, while the Martin Adler Prize was awarded posthumously to the Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The award in the News category was awarded to Spanish photojournalist Mikel Konate.

The Rory Peck Award in the category of best report went to Roopa Gogineni for The Rebel Puppeteers of Sudan, a uniquely focused report on the creator of a satirical puppet show reporting on the ongoing conflict in Sudan's Nuba Mountains. The judges praised Roopa's report, which aired in the New York Times, for being "an incredibly original creation... It allowed the protagonists to tell the story. Only great journalists are capable of achieving something like that."

The Prize Sony Impact in the Current Affairs category it was won by Deeyah Khan and Darin Prindle for White Right: Meeting the Enemy (Fuuse Films for ITV Exposure). In her report, Muslim filmmaker Deeyah interviews face-to-face fascists, racists and defenders of the American "alt-right" movement to understand their violent ideology. The jury commented: «The filmmakers put themselves in an extraordinary situation that was a problem for both the subjects and themselves. "They managed to delve deeper into the motivations of these people in a way never seen before."

The Rory Peck Award in the category of News, sponsored by Google, was awarded to Mikel Konate for the report he did for Reuters, in which he follows a Spanish NGO during a complicated ten-hour migrant rescue mission in the Mediterranean Sea. Describing it as “amazing reporting”, the judges said: “Although it is a single case, its images reveal a lot about the current situation in the Mediterranean Sea.”

He Martin Adler Award It was awarded posthumously to Daphne Caruana Galizia, an independent investigative journalist who, at just 53 years old, died due to a car bomb explosion in Malta last October. This special award recognizes a local freelancer who has made a significant contribution to newsgathering, whether through a single story or piece of work, but is largely unknown to the international media. Daphne is the first posthumous winner of the award, which was collected by her son Matthew.

Clothilde Redfern, Director of the Rory Peck Foundation, commented: "As the winners and finalists have demonstrated tonight, freelancers play a vital role in global news gathering. They tell the stories no one else can, and they inform us through the powerful reporting they personally record. The Rory Peck Foundation exists to support freelancers so they feel safe and continue working in an increasingly hostile world."

Lynn Bouslieman, Head of Strategic News Partners at Youtube, highlighted that "the three finalists for the Rory Peck Award in the News category have provided invaluable reporting, exposing realities and shedding light on extremely important issues in our society. We are pleased to continue supporting the work of the Rory Peck Foundation on behalf of independent video journalists around the world, as well as celebrating their achievements."

Stuart Almond, Head of Media Solutions at Sony Solutions Europe, said: "To support the Rory Peck Foundation, Sony is committed to providing independent professionals with the tools and services they need to do their extraordinary work. We want to recognize and pay tribute to the excellent work of independent journalists, whose bravery and great determination plays a huge role in shaping our perception of events taking place in the world. Sony is proud to support those who follow the philosophy Go Make Tomorrow“.