Palestinian journalist Malak A Tantesh received a standing ovation from hundreds of journalists as she was presented with the Marie Colvin Award at the British Journalism Awards on Thursday night.
Tantesh, aged 20, was also named New Journalist of the Year for her work reporting from the ground in Gaza.
She reported from Gaza for The Guardian for 18 months and is now studying journalism in the UK.
The Marie Colvin Award is given to an outstanding up-and-coming journalist of the calibre of the Sunday Times correspondent who was killed in Syria in 2012.
Tantesh was applauded by hundreds of journalists as she came to the stage at London’s Hilton Bankside in one of the most poignant moments of the evening.
She told the room that “working as a journalist in Gaza was very hard. But… despite everything, we were insisting on continuing”.
Tantesh also worked with her sister, Enas Tantesh, who acted as her photographer. Their cousin Seham is now reporting for The Guardian herself.
Sean Ryan, former Sunday Times foreign editor who worked with Colvin, told Tantesh why she won the award.
“Marie had an amazing mission to bear witness, which I feel Malak has really replicated through your reporting from Gaza.
“You’ve worked in incredibly difficult circumstances, as Marie did, and you’ve reported the voice from the ground, which was very much one of Marie’s principles of reporting.
“So that’s why I think she would have been honoured to meet you. Congratulations.”
Tantesh was recognised for reports including:
- ‘I heard them take their last breath’: survivor recounts Gaza paramedic killings
- ‘We faced hunger before, but never like this’: skeletal children fill hospital wards as starvation grips Gaza
- ‘My memories are crushed and buried’: a long walk home in Gaza
The British Journalism Awards judges said: “This year’s winner embodies everything they think of as being in Marie’s spirit: bravery, empathy with her subjects, fighting against the odds to get the story.
“Their written reports for The Guardian provided vital coverage of a war most journalists were banned from witnessing. Working alone they faced deprivation, the constant risk of bombs and the threat of targeted attack for their work.
“More than 200 journalists were killed covering the war in Gaza. Thankfully this year’s Marie Colvin Award winner survived and is with us here tonight.”
It is the second year in a row the Marie Colvin Award has been won by Palestinian journalists.
Last year Yousef Hammash of Channel 4 News, who is now based in the UK, and Feras Al Ajrami of BBC Eye Investigations were recognised with the award.
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