Back to About Us

Call for Entries

MU-ICRC Humanitarian Reporting Awards 2026

ICRC Pakistan and Humanitarian Reporting Initiative (MU) are inviting journalists across Pakistan to submit their work for a national programme recognising ethical, accurate, and empathetic reporting on humanitarian issues. The awards return in a new partnership, continuing a long-standing commitment to elevating humanitarian journalism.

5

Award Categories

Oct '26

Submissions Open

100

Total Points

3

Independent Jurors

Award Categories

Eligible topics include healthcare disparities, violence against health workers, climate-induced displacement, persons with disabilities, refugee and IDP movements, disaster preparedness, and the preservation of human dignity during emergencies.

Mainstream Broadcast

(Urdu or English): News packages, TV documentaries, and investigative pieces.

Online Report

(English or Urdu): Digital long-forms, investigative multimedia articles, and YouTube documentaries up to 90 minutes.

Mainstream Print (English)

Feature articles, news analyses, op-eds, and investigative pieces in national daily English newspapers or magazines.

Mainstream Print (Urdu)

Feature articles, news analyses, op-eds, and investigative pieces in national daily Urdu newspapers or magazines.

Regional Languages

(Broadcast or digital): Work in Pashto, Sindhi, Balochi, or Punjabi. English or Urdu subtitles required for jury review.

Scope & Eligibility

Who Can Submit

  • Journalists at national and regional outlets
  • Freelance and independent reporters
  • Digital journalists, bloggers and YouTubers
  • Documentary filmmakers
  • Reporters and correspondents working in any regional language of Pakistan
  • Work published or broadcast during the eligible period

What Falls Outside Scope

Stories in the following categories will be automatically disqualified during initial screening:

  • Stories focused on assigning political or criminal blame to a specific institution or organisation
  • News pieces dealing exclusively with civil and political rights violations (e.g., corruption, crackdowns on political rallies, or freedom of the press)
  • Reports written with an explicit 'name and shame' advocacy tone rather than an objective, empathetic focus on victims
  • Any story whose primary framework is Human Rights rather than humanitarian reporting

Important distinction: A story can document the severe impact of conflict or disaster on civilians — but if the structural narrative arc pivots into a political accountability campaign rather than the neutral delivery of humanitarian protection, it falls outside this award's mandate.

Judging & Integrity

The Selection Process

01

Nomination Phase

Open to all journalists. Submissions are eligible regardless of organisation’s affiliation, provided work was published or broadcast on mainstream, regional or digital platforms. Self-nominations are encouraged.

02

Initial Shortlist

An internal standards committee reviews all entries for baseline ethics, accuracy and humanitarian focus before passing to the jury.

03

Independent Jury Review

A panel of 03 senior journalists scores all shortlisted submissions out of 100 points.

Core Evaluation Criteria

An independent jury evaluates all shortlisted entries out of a maximum of 100 points across five strict criteria:

Focus on humanitarian issues20 pts
Ethical integrity20 pts
Technical presentation20 pts
OSINT & AI tool use20 pts
Data utilization20 pts

Submissions will open in October 2026

The submission portal opens in October 2026. Subscribe to the MU socials for the official announcement and full submission guidelines.