The sixth edition of the True Story Awards attracted 959 texts from 103 countries, written in 22 different languages. What an echo!
The 36 international jury members read and evaluated them on the premise of the three in 2025 created categories of storytelling excellence, impact and relevance, and research intensity. A total of 108 texts made it onto a shortlist, congratulations to the authors!
Shortlist of the True Story Award 2026
The shortlist also reflects the events of 2025: Russia's ongoing war of aggression in Ukraine, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the crisis in Sudan and the upheaval in Syria are featured multiple times and from a variety of perspectives. In addition to reports focusing on the usual topics of the environment, workers' rights, religion and migration, there are also many personal stories. And recently, there have been many that deal with journalism itself, whether it be disinformation campaigns, artificial intelligence, big tech companies or emerging social media phenomena.
The three texts nominated for each of the twelve world regions/language areas will be announced soon. Their authors will be invited to the Award Ceremony on 5 June, and the following True Story Festival, 6/7 June 2025 in Bern, Switzerland.
See you soon in Bern,
Daniel Puntas Bernet
Curator True Story Award