Introducing the finalists for the 2026 Orwell Journalism Prizes
Shortlists for The Orwell Book Prizes will be revealed on 15 May 2026
The Orwell Foundation today reveals the finalists for three Prizes: The Orwell Prize for Journalism, The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils, sponsored by Prospect, and The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness, sponsored by the Centre for Homelessness Impact.
Together, the three lists represent some of the most courageous and consequential journalism published in Britain over the past year, with nominations for a wide range of national and local publications including Al Jazeera Investigations, BBC Panorama, ITV News, The Observer, Bloomberg UK and London Centric, which is nominated in two categories.
Finalists for The Orwell Book Prizes, Political Writing & Political Fiction, will be revealed 15 May 2026, with the shortlist for The Orwell Youth Prize to follow on 22 May 2026. Winners in all six categories will be announced on 25 June 2026 at the Bloomsbury Theatre, as part of UCL200, the bicentenary of University College London.
Find out more about each shortlist below, and click on the titles to review the entries and read reflections from the judges.
Journalism
From Myanmar and Mozambique to the corridors of Whitehall, this year’s Orwell Prize for Journalism finalists follow the thread of accountability wherever it leads. Shortlisted journalists have investigated alleged atrocities in Palestine, UK complicity in war crimes in Sudan, and killings by British special forces in Afghanistan in reporting that honours Orwell’s own values of bravery, clarity and fidelity to truth.
Finalists
Al Jazeera Investigations | Ali Fowle, Fiona MacGregor, Drew Ambrose and the Burma VJ Network
Mads Brügger | BBC4
Manisha Ganguly | The Guardian
Christina Lamb | The Sunday Times
Ana Lankes | 1843, The Economist
BBC Panorama | Hannah O’Grady, Joel Gunter, Andrew Head, Richard Bilton, Rory Tinman
Alex Perry | Politico
Mark Townsend, with additional reporting by Elena Morresi and Laure Boulinier | The Guardian
With thanks to our dedicated independent judging panel: Greg Williams (Chair), Nick Davies, Meenakshi Ravi and Sayeeda Warsi.
These finalists do more than record events: they interrogate power, resist received narratives and give form to truths that others have tried to suppress through the painstaking collection of facts and original sources. Across the shortlist, the judges found the qualities at the heart of Orwell’s legacy: independence of mind, precision of language, moral courage and the transformation of political writing into art.
— Greg Williams, Chair of Judges, The Orwell Prize for Journalism 2026
Exposing Britain’s Social Evils
Sponsored by Prospect magazine
Misogyny in the police and NHS. Failing maternity services. The forces behind rising hate on our streets. The shortlist for The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils, which returns for 2026, is urgent and uncomfortable reading. But it is also, crucially, clarifying: reporting which doesn’t just document what is broken, but helps us understand how it might be fixed.
Finalists
Taj Ali, with additional reporting by Maeve Shearlaw and Christopher Cherry | The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Hyphen
Hannah Barnes | The New Statesman
ITV News | Daniel Hewitt, Isabel Alderson-Blench, Imogen Barrer & Mariah Cooper
Katherine Denkinson, with additional reporting by Jim Waterson and Polly Smythe | London Centric
Eve Livingston | The Observer
Daily Mirror: Island of Strangers | Ros Wynne-Jones, John Domokos and Claire Donnelly
Rachel Sylvester, with additional reporting by Garry Marshall | The Observer
Noel Titheradge | BBC News, BBC Radio 4
With thanks to our dedicated independent judging panel: Philip Collins (Chair), Abby Jitendra, Amber Rudd and Mina Smallman.
As judges, we approached the entries for The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils hoping to be challenged, and the standard of reporting on show exceeded even our high expectations. We heard from established newsrooms and first-time nominees alike, and the quality across both made for some genuinely tough conversations, which is exactly as it should be. Several of these stories have already changed policy. All of them deserve to be heeded by the public, and by those with the power to act.
— Philip Collins, Chair of Judges, The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils 2026
The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness
Sponsored by the Centre for Homelessness Impact
Now in its fourth year, The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness exists to champion the role that journalism, and early career reporters in particular, can play in solving one of Britain’s most enduring social failures. With seven Orwell Prize debuts, and nominations for Bloomberg UK, The Daily Mail and London Centric, this year’s shortlist makes a compelling case for why that investment matters.
Finalists
Asha Birdi | SW Londoner, Ilford Recorder
Tom Burgess | BBC News, BBC Radio 4
London Centric | Jim Waterson, Polly Smythe, Cormac Kehoe and Olivia Facey
Joseph Phelan | The Big Issue
Andrew Seaton | The New Statesman
Damian Shepherd | Bloomberg UK
Katharine Swindells | Inside Housing
Mimi Yates | The Daily Mail
With thanks to our dedicated independent judging panel: Michael Gove (Chair), Sarah O’Connor, Ligia Teixeira and Mel Yong.
The Orwell Prize attracts some of the most powerful and most exciting journalism being produced in Britain today. Homelessness is a huge social evil, but it has also inspired some great reporting and fantastic analysis. It has been a joy to spend time both with this work and with my fellow judges, who have brought a huge amount of passion and authority to the business of sifting some brilliant entries.
— Michael Gove, Chair of Judges, The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2026
About The Orwell Foundation
The Orwell Foundation exists to promote George Orwell’s values of bravery, integrity, decency and fidelity to truth. Whether through the prestigious Orwell Prizes, its stimulating events programme, or the innovative Youth Prize, it works to bring to life George Orwell’s vision of a decent society where thought is free, truth is valued and brave writing is celebrated.
An independent charity, the Foundation champions plurality of opinion and ideas by running prizes and events which nourish courageous writing, and connect with audiences on subjects emerging from George Orwell’s works including poverty, totalitarianism, the corruption of language and the rise of new technologies.
The Orwell Foundation’s Founding Patron is Richard Blair, George Orwell’s son. Officially licensed by the Orwell Estate, it raises all of its funding through grants, sponsorship and individual donations.
About Prospect Magazine
Sponsor of The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils
Prospect is the UK’s leading monthly magazine for politics, policy, and culture. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Prospect is known for agenda-setting essays, interviews, and analysis from across the political spectrum. The magazine is committed to providing rigorous, long-form journalism for readers who want depth, clarity, and insight on the issues that shape our world.
About the Centre for Homelessness Impact
Sponsor of The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness
The Centre for Homelessness Impact is the UK’s What Works Centre for Homelessness. It champions the creation and use of better evidence for a world without homelessness and is a member of the What Works Network. It seeks to improve the lives of those experiencing homelessness by ensuring policy, practice and funding decisions are underpinned by reliable evidence.