The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2026 was awarded to the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate, in recognition of its courageous work defending press freedom amid the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
Over the recent years of conflict, the Syndicate has documented dozens of journalist killings and hundreds of violations against media workers, continuing to provide vital, reliable information under extremely dangerous conditions. With much of the country’s media infrastructure destroyed, their work remains essential to ensuring access to information in what has become a “zone of silence.”
The Award Ceremony was held in UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 4th May. UNESCO’s Director-General Khaled El-Enany awarded the Prize, on the recommendation of an independent international Jury, at the presence of a delegation of fourteen representatives of the Sudanese Journalists Syndicate (SJS).
