International news agency Agence France-Presse has launched the 2019 Kate Webb Prize to recognise exceptional Asian journalists doing difficult and dangerous work across the region. 

Kate Webb. Photo: AFP

The contest is open to locally hired Asian photo, video and text journalists, for work published during 2019. 

The winner, who will be selected by a panel of experienced journalists, will receive 3,000 euros (approximately $3,300).

“Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region continue to pose significant challenges for press freedoms, and investigative journalism in particular,” said Philippe Massonnet, AFP’s regional director.

“The Kate Webb Prize aims to recognise and support local journalists who take on those challenges, often without the logistical and protective backing of a large media organisation,” he added.

Freelance reporter Asad Hashim won the 2018 prize for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan.

The Kate Webb prize, now in its 11th year, is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64 after a colourful career covering the world’s trouble spots – including Afghanistan.

Please send applications by email to the Kate Webb Prize Jury at [email protected] no later than midnight in Hong Kong (1600 GMT) on November 15, 2019.

For information on how to apply, click here. 

Freelance reporter Asad Hashim has won the 2018 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan.

Freelance reporter Asad Hashim. Photo: AFP

The prize, with a 3,000 euro purse, honours journalists working in perilous or difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64, after a career covering the world’s troublespots – including Afghanistan.

Asad Hashim, 33, was recognised for a series of articles on ethnic Pashtuns and other groups caught up in the Pakistan military’s fight against the Pakistan Taliban.

These included an investigative report into enforced disappearances allegedly conducted by the military and a reporting mission to the South Waziristan tribal region – birthplace of Pakistan’s Taliban – to look into the deadly civilian toll from landmine explosions.

The award also recognised his work on other highly sensitive issues, such as Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and the country’s judicial system.

“These are challenging times for journalists in Pakistan and Asad Hashim’s work stands out for the kind of courageous, independent reporting the Kate Webb Prize was created to recognise,” said AFP’s Asia-Pacific regional director, Philippe Massonnet.

“His deeply-researched articles tackle sensitive subjects with an admirable balance of passion, commitment and journalistic detachment,” Massonnet said.

“I am honoured by the jury’s decision to select my work this year,” Asad Hashim said after learning he was the winner of the 2018 prize.

“I consider the award not just a recognition of my work, but of all Pakistani journalists, who have been working in an increasingly restrictive reporting environment over the last year,” he added.

The prize will be formally presented at a ceremony in March.

About the Prize

Born in New Zealand, Kate Webb earned a reputation as a fearless reporter while covering wars and other historic events in Asia during a career spanning four decades. She made her name in Vietnam and also worked in Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, South Korea and the Middle East. She was known for her kindness and compassion and became a mentor to younger Asian journalists. The prize is administered by AFP and by the Webb family. It was first awarded in 2008.