Kyiv Independent journalist wins Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism

Kyiv Independent journalist Asami Terajima was announced as one of the winners of the 2023 Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism, the Thomson Reuters Foundation announced on Oct. 3.

The 23-year-old was awarded the 2023 Local Reporter Award for her efforts at bringing to light the "brutal realities of war through the eyes of Ukrainian soldiers" at the front line during Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

The judges called Terajima's work "a compelling (and) very useful addition to coverage of the biggest story in a generation."

Born in Osaka, Japan, Terajima moved to Kyiv with her family when she was a child.

She began her career in journalism in 2020 as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post and is one of the founding members of the Kyiv Independent.

In May 2023, Terajima won the 2023 George Weidenfeld Prize, an award given "for "excellent investigative and courageous research activities" as part of the prestigious German Axel Springer Prize.

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The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Syrian Kurdish journalist Hisham Arafat won the News Fixer Award, and French journalist Lea Polverini won the Freelance Award.

Terajima and Polverini will speak at a panel session moderated by international correspondent Yalda Hakim at the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s annual Trust Conference in London on Oct. 19.

The awards are named in honor of American freelance journalist Kurt Schork, who was killed on assignment for Reuters in Sierra Leone in 2000.

Now in their 22nd year, the Kurt Schork Awards recognize "brave journalists for their reporting on conflict, corruption, and injustice," according to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

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The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima