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The Cambodian Journalists Alliance Affiliation (CamboJA) has been shortlisted for the 2026 IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award, becoming a member of 10 different media organizations from all over the world in a contest that honors innovation in unbiased journalism and press freedom.
The shortlist, introduced on Monday by the Worldwide Press Institute (IPI) and Worldwide Media Assist (IMS), acknowledges media shops creating new methods to maintain unbiased journalism in more and more difficult environments.
CamboJA is the one Southeast Asian group on the checklist, which spans 11 international locations. IPI, which launched the award in 1997 earlier than IMS joined as a accomplice in 2015, described the finalists as “trailblazers” increasing the free move of stories and data of their international locations and areas.
Based in 2019 by a bunch of Cambodian journalists, CamboJA emerged after the 2018 normal election and a wider crackdown that noticed a number of unbiased information shops shut.
CamboJA says it really works to defend press freedom and promote moral, unbiased journalism in Cambodia via advocacy, coaching and media initiatives that assist journalists and broader media growth efforts.
In 2025, CamboJA Information, the group’s information arm, obtained the World Justice Mission’s Anthony Lewis Prize for its investigative reporting and protection of points affecting the rule of regulation in Cambodia. CamboJA was additionally nominated for the Reporters With out Borders Press Freedom Award in 2020.
Nop Vy, CamboJA’s founder and government director, stated the shortlist would assist increase the group’s profile and strengthen public belief in its work.
“On behalf of our members and our governing Board of Administrators, I’m very honored that CamboJA has been shortlisted for the 2026 Free Media Pioneer Award.” he stated, including that recognition highlighted the group’s contribution to selling human rights, press freedom and freedom of expression.
Phon Sothyroth, a CamboJA member and former intern at CamboJA Information, stated she was proud to see the group shortlisted.
Whether or not or not CamboJA wins, the shortlist itself is a crucial acknowledgment of its efforts to advertise freedom of expression and entry to data, she stated. “I’ve seen firsthand how its work helps journalists and strengthens Cambodia’s media sector.”
The winner of the award will probably be introduced within the coming weeks and honored alongside the IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero Award on the Gabo Pageant in Colombia in July. Final yr’s award went to unbiased media organizations in Hungary.
