ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Rudaw Media Network has presented the 2026 Shifa Gardi Award to BBC’s Irish journalist Orla Guerin, who has reported from numerous conflict zones.
“We, the permanent members of the International Shifa Gardi Award Committee, have decided to confer the 2026 Shifa Gardi Award upon Orla Guerin, senior international correspondent for the BBC after extensive review of the work of several outstanding candidates. This Award recognises her exceptional work in covering wars and the plight of civilians fleeing conflict, including in Syria and Rojava,” said the committee in a statement on Wednesday.
Shifa Gardi was Rudaw’s news anchor and reporter who was killed by an improvised explosive device while covering the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) on February 25, 2017. In honor of her memory, Rudaw grants the Shifa Gardi Award each year to a prominent female war correspondent.
Prior to joining BBC in 1995, Guerin held various roles at Ireland’s RTE News. University of Essex awarded her with an honorary doctorate in 2002.
“It is an honor to accept the Shifa Gardi Award and to pay tribute to the legacy of this courageous Kurdish journalist who achieved so much in her 30 years. I'm also very honored to join the women who have gone before me in receiving the award, including Lyse Doucet, Alex Crawford and Clarissa Ward. I'm in the very best of company,” Guerin said in a video message when accepting the award.
“As journalists we all know that risk comes with the territory and we go anyway because we have a responsibility to be on the ground and to see and report what's happening. Undoubtedly, Shifa knew the risks when she was reporting on the offensive against the so-called Islamic State in 2016 and 2017. She went anyway, presenting a daily programme. That was a story I also covered, and I remember the reverberations of shock and loss when Shifa was killed. Though we had not met, I thought of her often as I followed her footsteps towards Mosul,” she added.
The Irish journalist dedicated part of her message to the war in Gaza and the bank on the entry of journalists to the area.
“I can think of no other conflict where international journalists have been shut out for so long, prevented from bearing witness. The only time foreign journalists are allowed in is on guided trips with the Israeli military,” she said.
Adrian Wells, Managing Director of the European News Exchange (ENEX), said Wednesday marks “the sad anniversary of the tragic death of Shifa.”
“As ever, this is a somber moment to reflect on the life cut too short while carrying out her mission to bring humanity to the reporting of how conflict can deeply affect innocent lives. But it's also a moment of hope and happiness that her legacy is commemorated in the way that we are doing today, by honoring the very best of female reporting talent and the stories they're bringing to audiences all over the world,” he added.
He also highlighted Rudaw’s success.
“It's remarkable that Rudaw is standing against this trend and expanding its services and reach, investing in journalism and innovating. I'm sure this is the success that Shifa would have wanted for her channel to continue and grow this vital work. This year's winner is certainly deserving of our award in Shifa's name. She has tirelessly reported from some of the most challenging environments and inaccessible locations,” he added.