Thomson Foundation Unveils Finalists For 2026 Young Journalist Award

Three investigative journalists from Nigeria, Kenya and Mexico have been named as the finalists for the 2026 Thomson Foundation Young Journalist Award, selected ahead of 214 other entrants spanning 56 countries.

The Foreign Press Association (FPA) judging panel praised their 'curiosity, courage, humanity and commitment to telling difficult stories'.

Nigeria’s Aaron Atsahyel was recognised for Gallari Mass Arrest; 12 years after, a Trust TV documentary following families seeking answers about 42 men who disappeared after being arrested, allegedly by Nigerian soldiers. The 27-year-old, a former Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting winner, speaks to the women and children left behind, as well as three men released years later who recount their ordeal in harrowing detail. Aaron says it's an honour to be shortlisted and ‘a powerful affirmation that the stories I tell from underserved and high-risk communities across sub-Saharan Africa matter’.

From Mexico, 29-year-old freelance journalist Humberto Basilio spent 18 months reporting an investigation for Science Magazine into a celebrated but controversial herpetologist, interviewing 40 sources and laying bare the pressures shaping modern conservation. "At a time of climate, health and humanitarian crises, this recognition reaffirms my belief that science and environmental journalism still matter deeply," he said.

Kenya's William Kamau conducted an eight-month undercover probe exposing how Kenyan and Ugandan jobseekers were allegedly trafficked into online fraud compounds in Myanmar. In a documentary for Africa Uncensored, the 29-year-old spoke to survivors reportedly sold by recruitment agents and forced to endure grim and at times brutal conditions working as scammers. William says being in the top three for the Young Journalist award is "a validation that difficult stories, told with care, still matter." “For me, this isn't just recognition of three stories; it's recognition of everyone who trusted us enough to speak," he said.

In an unusual step, the judges also gave a special mention to Nigerian journalist Hauwa Shaffii Nuhu, noting she had done an "outstanding job and deserves recognition". Writing for Hum Angle, the 27-year-old investigates the rise of the militant group Boko Haram and its founder Mohammed Yusuf.

thomsonfoundation.org