Celebrating the brave women who bring us the news.

The IWMF Courage in Journalism Awards are the standard-bearer for bravery in journalism. This annual celebration recognizes outstanding women journalists who endure extreme adversity, including attacks, intimidation, political repression, and imprisonment in the name of truthtelling. The Courage Awards bring together leaders in media, business, and entertainment to celebrate a free, fair press.

Our 2026 award recipients demonstrate a troubling rise in the policing of journalism — and of women — across the globe. This year’s honorees are all independent journalists, working without the institutional protections or legal resources often available at major media organizations. At a time of mounting threats to press freedom and deep instability across the media industry, their stories show us the importance of standing up for press freedom and refusing to be silenced.

Wallis Annenberg Justice for Women Journalists Award

Frenchie Mae Cumpio is a Filipino journalist and the executive director of the independent news outlet Eastern Vista. She is known for her reporting on social inequality in the Eastern Visayas region, including land rights abuses, the killings of farmers, disaster response, and the impacts of militarized conflict under government policies.

In 2020, Cumpio’s assets were seized from her home, and she was arrested following a police raid and charged with terrorism-related offenses, widely regarded as fabricated. Cumpio’s work – and her continued imprisonment – highlights the use of legal mechanisms, including anti-terror laws and “red-tagging,” to silence independent media in the Philippines.

Learn more about her here.

Courage in Journalism Awards Ceremonies

The 2026 Courage Awards will be celebrated in New York City on November 10 at the Metropolitan Club, and in Los Angeles on November 12 at the home of Willow Bay. To join us for this national event series, learn more about sponsorship and ticketing opportunities here.

New York City

At our New York City luncheon, we’ll be joined by host Rachel Scott (ABC News), who will interview 2026 awardee Georgia Fort about her experience reporting from the front lines of Minnesota’s immigration protests. We’ll also honor our awardees in absentia with The Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian and additional speakers (to be announced).

Plus, we’ll hear from Dale Anglin (Knight Foundation) and Maribel Pérez Wadsworth (Press Forward), women philanthropists leading press freedom funding, in a discussion moderated by Judy Woodruff (PBS NewsHour).

Los Angeles

Our intimate Los Angeles reception, co-hosted by Willow Bay, Charmaine DeGraté, and Naomi Bulochnikov-Paul (Netflix), will feature a conversation with awardee Georgia Fort. We’ll also hear from the team behind Apple TV’s The Morning Show, and discuss the LA local media landscape with KABC’s Wendy Granato.