• Renowned judges join BAAG's journalism contest

Renowned judges join BAAG's journalism contest

17 September 2015

BAAG's Afghanistan Journalism competition is well under way and we are delighted to have secured three leading media professionals to join our Judges panel. They are:

Nick Danziger - winner of the World Press Award for single best portrait in 2004, Nick's photographs are in the collections of The National Portrait Gallery, The National Media Museum and The Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow. His work has been exhibited at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Canada; the National Museum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the Morgan Library and Museum, New York City; USA and the Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy.  Nick has travelled extensively in Afghanistan for both photography and film-making:  in 1991 he made his first documentary film, War, Lives and Videotape, based on children abandoned in the Marstoon mental asylum on the outskirts of Kabul. Shown by the BBC, it won the Prix Italia for best television documentary film.

Ben Anderson - BAFTA and Emmy nominee Ben is currently a reporter with VICE News, and has previously been commissioned by Channel 4, the BBC and HBO.  Ben has reported from Afghanistan since 2007, often working alone or embedding with British and US troops. His film credits include The Battle for Marjah, This is what winning looks like, The Interpreters, Holidays in the Axis of Evil and World's Toughest Tribes.  His book about the Afghanistan conflict - No Worse Enemy - was published in 2012 and Ben has also written for The Times, The New York Times, Esquire, GQ, the Guardian and the London Review of Books.

Mark Galloway - Mark is Director of IBT - International Broadcasting Trust.  The IBT is a media and education charity with over 40 members including most of the main aid and development, environment and human rights organisations.  For over 30 years it has linked them with broadcasters to increase the impact and reach of international  programming and build online audiences.  Mark started his career as a reporter with ITN, became a producer/director at Yorkshire TV and then took up the Commissioning Editor for Education and Features role at Channel 4. During his time with Channel 4 Mark travelled to Afghanistan, and he has been following developments in the country since.  Mark has been a judge at the Media Awards and has written numerous reports at the IBT. 

Our Afghanstan Journalism competition asks journalists and photographers to partner together and send us proposals for an original and engaging piece of journalism on an Afghanistan development theme.  We're looking for stories that will depict the reality of Afghanistan - the bravery and determination of the Afghan people, the complexities of development in a conflict-affected, impoverished and mountainous country, the success stories and the challenges. It might focus on youth, on the unifying power of sports, on healthcare, women's rights programmes, theatre groups...

The best proposal, as judged by our panel of high-profile journalists and photographers, will be rewarded with an all-expenses paid trip to Afghanistan.  The winning journalist and photographer will be supported by BAAG, and our wide-reaching network of international and Afghan NGOs, activists and in-country experts, to gather the materials required to realise their proposed story.  

December 31st 2015 will mark one year since the withdrawal of international combat troops from Afghanistan.  BAAG will publish and promote the winning article and photographs to mark this occasion, and to offer an alternative to the military and security narrative. 

The competition is open to professional journalists and photographers resident in the UK or Europe.  More information about the prize, how to submit a proposal and other important details can be found on our Competition webpage.