Our Freedom of Expression Awards recognise those on the frontline of free expression and whose work has contributed significantly to confronting censorship – specifically in repressive regimes around the world. In recent years, award recipients of these prestigious awards have included Toomaj Salehi, Malala Yosafzai, Cartoon Rights Network, and Abdelrahman ‘Moka’ Tarek. See all previous winners here.
There are awards in the Arts, Campaigning and Journalism categories and a special award chosen by Index on Censorship’s trustees.
Do you know an individual or organisation who could be one of our 2025 award recipients? If so, please nominate them below. The deadline for nominations is 7 March 2025.
What happens next?
Once the nominee entries have closed, Index on Censorship will begin reviewing the nominees. All nominees are judged according to five main criteria:Â
- Timeliness – Have they made a significant contribution within the past 12 months?
- Need – Have they been overlooked by other awards despite their significant contribution to freedom of expression? We want the Index award to add the most possible value, including by highlighting people, issues or regions that are rarely tackled by other organisations.
- Resilience – Have they shown courage to speak out, despite significant adversity?
- Innovation – Have they engaged in creative ways of promoting free expression or circumventing censorship?
- Impact – Is there documented evidence that they have shifted perceptions, influenced public or government opinion, or contributed to legislative change in their country?
Once the criteria has been met the nominees will be shared with our judging panel for a final decision. The judges for 2025 have not yet been announced, but in recent years the panel has included: Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, Maria Ressa, Bianca Jagger, Ben Preston, and Tina Brown.
