This year's recipient of the Georgiy Gongadze journalism award is war correspondent and photographer Ivan Lyubish-Kirdey from Reuters.

"It is a great honor for me to receive this award. I am incredibly happy, but I must say that there is much work ahead for both you and me. The goal is an independent Ukraine. This award motivates me to continue working," he remarked during the ceremony.

In August 2024, during an assignment in Kramatorsk, Ivan suffered a severe injury while staying at the "Sapphire" hotel, which was struck by Russian forces.

Foreign journalists were also affected by the attack. Ivan fell into a coma due to his injuries.

By early October 2024, the photographer regained consciousness and began to speak.

"We do not always appreciate those who film, edit, and help us understand – those who are behind the scenes. I find it incredibly symbolic that this year's nominee is someone who is in the finals not because they suffered. Not because that damned rocket hit Kramatorsk."

"We love Viktoriya Amelina not because she became a victim. We love these people for what they did. For who they are. For the legacy they left," emphasized jury member and public figure Yevhen Hlibovytsky.

Other contenders for the award included Mykhailo Tkach, head of the investigations department at "Ukrainska Pravda," and Olha Rudenko, editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Kyiv Independent.

Nominees were evaluated based on the following criteria:

• dedication to the principles and values of independent journalism;
• innovation;
• significant contribution to the development of a specific genre or the media environment as a whole;
• creation of materials that led to the resolution or understanding of specific societal issues and changes in the country.

The Georgiy Gongadze award is one of the main distinctions for professional journalists in Ukraine, established in 2019 in partnership with the family of Georgiy Gongadze.

In 2024, the award was given to Tatyana Troshchynska, director of the strategic analysis department and development of socially impactful content at "Suspilne."

In previous years, the award was presented to Vakhtang Kipiani (2019), Pavlo Kazarіn (2020), Myroslava Barchuk (2021), Mstyslav Chernov and Yevhen Maloletka (2022), and Bohdan Lohvynenko (2023).

In 2022, the award introduced a special posthumous recognition awarded to documentary filmmaker and photojournalist Max Levin.