IAPA announces the winners of the Excellence in Journalism Awards 2023

The winning works reaffirm the strength, relevance, diversity and modernity of journalism committed to citizens' rights, quality of life and freedom. With these awards, the IAPA reiterates its staunch defense of free expression and the right to information through independent journalism.”

Awards Committee Chair Leonor Mulero, GFR Media, in Puerto Rico

The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) announced the winners of the Excellence in Journalism Awards 2023, selected through the evaluation of 1,286 works of the highest quality submitted by media professionals from North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.

A jury of members of the IAPA Awards Committee selected the winners and honorable mentions in each of the 14 categories. The winners were published in the media of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the United States, France, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.

"The winning works reaffirm the strength, relevance, diversity and modernity of journalism committed to citizens' rights, quality of life and freedom. With these awards, the IAPA reiterates its staunch defense of free expression and the right to information through independent journalism," said Awards Committee Chair Leonor Mulero, GFR Media, in Puerto Rico.

The awards ceremony will be held Nov. 11 during the IAPA Annual Assembly in Mexico City, Nov. 9-12. The awards consist of a diploma of recognition and, for the most part, a stipend of U.S. $2,000.

Tomorrow (Sept. 13), the IAPA will announce the Grand Press Freedom Award and prizes in four new categories: Executive of the Year, Great Friend of the Press, Digital Transformation, and Transformative Sustainability.

The winning entries in the 14 categories are:

CARTOON AWARD, sponsored by El Tiempo, Bogotá, Colombia: "El peligroso camino del migrante," Ángel Boligán Corbo, El Universal, Mexico. For illustrating, with mastery of drawing and sharpness of conception, the many dangers faced by migrants on their long journey.

Honorable Mention: "Fakir eunuco informativo," Carlos Arturo Romero Santos, El Nuevo Día, Colombia.

INTERNET NEWS COVERAGE AWARD, sponsored by Infobae: "Ouro Líquido: produção de dendê explora populações negras e indígenas no Brasil," Rebeca Borges, Metrópoles, Brazil. For her rigorous research — supported by attractive graphics, videography, photos and videos — on the palm oil (dendê) production chain in Brazil.

Honorable Mention: "La lavadora verde," Vanessa Cisneros, Lucía Vergara, Paola Calvo, Erick Retana, Eduardo Mota, Janine Bacquerie, Raúl Olmos, Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity, Mexico.

NEWS COVERAGE AWARD, sponsored by Grupo Opsa, San Pedro Sula, Honduras: "Cobertura de producción, tráfico y consumo de fentanilo en México," Miriam Ramírez, Ernesto Aroche, Miguel Ángel Vega, El Universal, Mexico, for presenting a broad and rigorous investigation on the consumption of fentanyl, a hazardous drug that has grown in the country without the authorities being able to stop it.

Honorable Mention: "El gran padrino," Andersson Boscán, Mónica Velásquez, Jeffersson Sanguña, Doménica Vivanco, Christian Torres, Juan José Albán, Danilo Castro, Estefanía Vaca, Javier Montenegro, La Posta, Ecuador.

INTERVIEW AWARD, sponsored by El Comercio, Lima, Peru: "Interview with President Guillermo Lasso," Ana María Cañizares Sánchez and team, CNN en Español for making it possible to clarify, before the country and the international community, the legal and democratic panorama of Ecuador before the immediate call for elections. It is a magnificent example of journalistic foresight and opportunity.

Honorable Mention: "Mark Zuckerberg es un dictador, Entrevista a María Ressa," Catalina Gómez Ángel, Revista Bocas / El Tiempo, Colombia.

CRONICA AWARD, sponsored by La Prensa, Río Bamba, Ecuador: "Climate Crisis in Cape Horn Series," Michelle Carrere, Mongabay Latam, Lima, Peru. For divulging, based on solid arguments, and without relegating the rhythm and beauty of style, scientific work is being done on the impact of climate change on the flora and fauna of the southernmost forests of the planet.

Honorable Mention: "Una noche con los cazadores de caimanes," Víctor Ramos Rosado, El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico.

HUMAN RIGHTS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD, sponsored by Debate Media, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico: "Desaparición de Óscar Gabriel" (child trafficking), Jesús Armando Cámara Ríos, Martín Holguín Alatorre, Francisco Javier Quintero Flores, La Verdad, Mexico. For recounting, with rigor and analytical capacity, the chilling disappearance of a Mexican teenager in the custody of the Yucatan authorities in a case plagued with irregularities.

Honorable Mention: "La memoria del horror de las cárceles de Ortega," Octavio Alfonso Enríquez Cabistán, Confidencial, Costa Rica.

PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD, sponsored by La Prensa Gráfica, San Salvador, El Salvador: "Mutilados," Marcia Laurene Foletto, Jornal O Globo, Brazil, for capturing, with realism and refined photographic technique, the situation of the victims of violence in Brazil.

Honorable Mention: "Migrant children, victims of someone else's dream," Luis Cristóbal Acosta Castro, Agence Française de Presse (AFP), Panama.

INFOGRAPHY AWARD, sponsored by Clarín, Buenos Aires, Argentina: "Atentado," Redacción La Nación, Argentina. For presenting, through an original and dynamic narrative, the planning, execution and outcome of the attempt on Cristina Kirchner's life, it stands out for its adherence to truth and thoroughness, the variety of resources (photographs, maps, testimonies, videos, chats).

Honorable Mention: "Carlos III: el camino del rey," Sandra Rojas, Katherine Orjuela, Carlos Bustos, Leonardo Parra, Norman Jaimes, El Tiempo, Colombia.

OPINION AWARD, sponsored by El Mercurio, Santiago, Chile: "Series on the political crisis in Peru," Jaime Bedoya, El Comercio, Peru. For presenting, with sharpness, humor and irony, different views on the causes of the crisis: incapacity of the president and Congress, corruption, and laziness of the population.

Honorable Mention: "La pobreza que oculta el discurso oficial cubano," Laura Roque Valero, elTOQUE, Cuba.

DATA JOURNALISM AWARD, sponsored by Grupo de Comunicaciones Corripio, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic: "Al descubierto: La fábrica de desinformación en Instagram que amenaza la democracia en Venezuela," Adrián González, Héctor Rodríguez, Jeanfreddy Gutiérrez, Ariana Briceño, Marivi Marín Vázquez, Cazadores de Fake News, Venezuela, for revealing how the disinformation strategy of Nicolás Maduro's regime operates on Instagram against the opposition; a convincing example of whistleblower journalism.

Honorable Mention: "El nuevo mapa del crimen organizado," Silber Alonso Meza camacho, Daniela Guazo, Samuel Aguilar, Fermín García, Miguel Garnica, El Universal, Mexico.

JOURNALISM IN DEPTH AWARD, sponsored by La República, Lima, Peru: "República Finquera: retrato del autoritarismo en Centroamérica," Redacción Regional, El Salvador. For denouncing, through abundant documentation and attractive design, the critical situation in countries such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Mexico, where authoritarianism and abuse of power predominate, along with corruption and violence. A remarkable effort of journalistic collaboration and coordination.

Honorable Mention: "Rafael Project," Forbidden Stories, France.

ROBERTO EISENMANN JR. ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM AWARD, sponsored by La Prensa, Panama City, Panama: "Planeta en Peligro: California en Crisis," CNN en Español, USA. For presenting a documentary of high cinematic quality showing how water shortages, forest fires, crop failures and their impact on employment affect the lives of California residents, particularly Latinos.

Honorable Mention: "Jaguar Women," Lisa Corti, Nómadas magazine, Bolivia.

HEALTH JOURNALISM AWARD: "Pesticides in Colombia: sick children and sale of banned chemicals," Herlency Isabel Gutiérrez Barahona, Javier Mauricio Jules Acosta, RCN Radio, Colombia. For demonstrating, through authoritative sources and victims' testimonies, the alterations in children's brain development due to the use of pesticides. It is a magnificent example of denunciation journalism.

Honorable Mention: "Adolescentes en crisis," Florencia Fernández Blanco, Florencia Abad, Aníbal Greco, Fabiola Czubaj, Santiago Filipuzzi, María Ayuso, La Nación, Argentina.

UNIVERSITY JOURNALISM AWARD, sponsored by Consejo Latinoamericano de Acreditación de Periodismo y Comunicación (CLAEP), Miami, Florida: "VIF: heridas que nunca cierran," Macarena Patricia Cerda Morales, El Penquista Ilustrado, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Chile, for presenting, with excellent narrative and promising professionalism, a little explored, revealing and moving topic: violence against older women.

Honorable Mention: "Florencia: el desafío del reciclaje," María Camila Cano López, TV UNAD VIRTUAL, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, Colombia.

About the Inter American Press Association:

IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida.