The annual Bayeux Awards for war correspondents were announced at an emotional ceremony in Normandy on Saturday evening. The Palestinian photojournalist Saher Alghorra won first prize for photography, while journalists from RFI and France 24 received accolades for their work on Syria. Reports on Ukraine and Sudan were also among the prizes.
Alghorra (Zuma Press), who is still in Gaza, was recognised for his series "Trapped in Gaza: Between Fire and Famine". Last year, he won Bayeux's young reporter award.
His work on the plight of civilians trapped in the Palestinian territory by the Israeli military campaign also saw him pick up the 2025 Humanitarian Visa d'Or award at Visa pour l'image festival in Perpignan in September.
Gaza was the focus of the other two recipients for this category with Ali Jadallah (Anadolu Agency) in second place and Jehad Alshrafi in third.
Jadallah's image of Israeli fire raining over Deir al-Balah in Gaza also won the Public's Choice award.
In the print journalism category, Wolfgang Bauer (Zeit Magazin) from Germany won first place for "The Forgotten", about the only hospital still able to perform surgery in Sudan's capital, Khartoum.
The journalist thanked "all the doctors, nurses and volunteers" at the hospital "who do everything they can to save lives every day" in a video message, on the verge of tears.
Reports from Gaza, Sudan, DRC honoured at French photojournalism festival
Second place in the print category went to Declan Walsh's "Sudan on Fire" published by The New York Times. His article also won the honorary Ouest-France-Jean Marin prize.
Third place went to Alexander Clapp for "Cocaine, bananas, and tongueless children: behind the scenes of the world's latest narco-state Ecuator" for The Economist.
Syrian women have their say
Swiss-Canadian journalist Maurine Mercier (RTS-RTBF) received the top prize for radio for her report "Pokrovsk: Two Flowers in the Ruins", about the sexual lives of women in eastern Ukraine.
"These women live, they defend democracy and freedom," Mercier told the nearly 1,560 spectators gathered at the award ceremony, "but I didn't think you would be 'punk' enough to award this report."
Second prize in radio went RFI's Manon Chapelain for "Barrage de Tichrine: le dernier front de Syrie" (Tichrine Dam: Syria's last frontline) and third prize to Radio France's Aurélien Colly for "Syrie: la folie de la tyrannie" (Syria and the folly of tyranny).
In the television category, Julie Dungelhoeff, James André and Sofia Amara from France 24 won first place for their report, "Inside Assad’s terror machine", focused on the prisons liberated by the Syrian regime.
"It's important that we continue to go out into the field whenever possible to tell these stories," said Amara told the audience.
The second prize in television went to Solenn Riou, Pauline Lormant and Oleksii Sauchenko for a report on Ukrainian commandos on the frontline.
The third prize went to Jomana Karadsheh, Tareq Al Hilou, Mohammed Al Sawalhi, Mick Krever and Mark Baron from CNN for their documentary about the lives of children in Gaza which also won the special Normandy Region Prize, designated by students and trainees.
A documentary on the conflict in Ethiopia called "Tigray: rape, the silent weapon" by Agnès NABAT, Marianne Getti (Kraken Films / Arte) scooped up the Grand Format television trophy, awarded by the Caen Memorial museum.
The Young Reporter Award was awarded to Pierre Terraz (Politis, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Grands Reportages), who distinguished himself with "Burma: A Clandestine Plunge into Civil War."
"Every day, Burmese journalists are arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and executed, sometimes in public," Terraz said on stage. "I think about them every day."
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Tributes to journalists who perished
The Video Image Award went to Edward Kaprov (Lila Production for ARTE Reportage) for "Donbass, Between Life and Death," a poignant account of the war in Ukraine.
Presided by American journalist Jon Lee Anderson, the international jury of the 32nd edition of the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award combed through hundreds of entries to chose winners in the ten categories.
"This has definitely been one of the strongest journalistic offerings I have seen since I have come to the Prix Bayeux," Anderson said after seeing the numerous entries.
"We evaluated an incredible array of material that included many examples of real journalistic excellence, and it came from all over the globe. We had vigorous debates which were always stimulating and ultimately rewarding. I am tired, but feel very satisfied by the process we have engaged in, and I trust that the public will agree with our choices," Anderson said.
During the ceremony, tributes were paid to journalists killed recently in the line of duty.
Aida, the partner of French photojournalist Antoni Lallican, who was killed on 3 October in Donbass, eastern Ukraine, in a Russian drone attack, sent a message saying she "already misses the joy of living" of the "talented" reporter who died at the age of 37.
A tribute was paid to Syrian journalist Anas Kharboutli, who died a few days before Bashar al-Assad fled the country.
The Bayeux Calvados-Normany Awards for war correspondents exhibitions are open to the public until 9 November.
