The Vladimir Herzog Institute announced 21 finalists for the 48th edition of the Vladimir Herzog Journalism Prize, selected from 346 submissions spanning art, photography, text, video, audio, multimedia, and journalism categories. Winners will be determined during a public deliberation session on September 30, streaming live on the prize’s official YouTube channel.
Established in 1979, the prize honors communication professionals and personalities distinguished by their commitment to fundamental human rights. It commemorates the life and work of journalist Vladimir Herzog, who was tortured and murdered by the civil-military dictatorship on October 25, 1975, at the DOI-CODI in São Paulo. Since 2023, the award has been organized by the Vladimir Herzog Prize Institute, a private, non-profit, apolitical civil association founded in November 2022 that unites 18 civil society institutions alongside the Herzog family.
Mapping the Finalists Across Media Categories
Submissions for this 48th iteration arrived across seven distinct divisions.
In the Art category, the finalists include Antonio Junião for “Another young Black man murdered” published in Ponte Jornalismo (São Paulo/SP), alongside Thiago Lucas for “The enemy lives at home” and “Between rain and loss,” both published in Jornal do Commercio Pernambuco.
Photography finalists capture harrowing realities on the ground. Eduardo Anizelli secured a spot for “Those who carry the morts” in Folha de S.Paulo (Rio de Janeiro/RJ); Pedro Kirilos is recognized for “BOPE Wall” in O Estado de S. Paulo; and Thomas Silva earned a nomination for “A widow bids farewell to her husband killed during the deadliest police operation in Rio de Janeiro’s history” via Agência Brasil-EBC.
Audio journalism production features expansive collaborative reporting. A massive team including Bia Guimarães, Natália Silva, and numerous colleagues at Radio Novelo (Campinas/SP) secured a finalist spot for “Waiting room: Legal abortion in Brazil facing a new threat.” They are joined by Julia Dolce and team for “Palestine, from abundance to famine” (Le blé et l’ivraie, São Paulo/SP), and Octave Auguste for “Carlos Mota: The pedagogy of courage” (Senate Radio, Brasília DF).
Multimedia, Text, and Video Investigations
Multimedia entries dissect complex territorial and social conflicts. Caio Castor and an investigative team at Intercept Brasil (São Paulo/SP) are recognized for “Moinho de Gente: the eviction of the last favela in downtown São Paulo.” Meanwhile, Jade Abreu and colleagues at Metrópoles (Brasília DF) earned a nomination for “A Brazil in ruins.” Juliana Mori and a multinational collaborative team rounded out the multimedia shortlist with “Gold, excavators and guns: how factions and militias dominate illegal mining on the Sararé Indigenous territory,” published via InfoAmazonia and Amazon Underworld (Belém/PA).
Text journalism nominees tackle deep systemic labor and environmental conflicts. Daniel Camargos, João Laet, Carlos Juliano Barros, and Paula Bianchi earned a nod for “The forgotten photo of the tied-up worker in a Maranhão charcoal factory and the connection with Toyota” via Repórter Brasil (Belo Horizonte/MG). Hyury Potter, João Laet, and Talita Bedinelli are recognized for “‘The company got rich and took our wealth’: the struggle of riverside communities who lost their river to Alcoa” published in Sumaúma (São José/SC). Mariana Rosetti and a team at AzMina Magazine (Santo André/SP) were selected for “Birth or condemnation?”
In the Video category, Angela Boldrini and team from Folha de S. Paulo (São Paulo/SP) earned recognition for “22 weeks.” A large collaborative reporting unit from TV Brasil (Brasília DF) secured a finalist position for “Slave domestic work: silence and servitude.” Thiago Padovan and team from TV Brasil (São Paulo/SP) round out the video finalists with “The Eternal April of Carajás: 30 years of massacre.”
Book-reporting finalists feature Ana Paula Araújo for “Aggressiveness” (Editora Globo/Globo Livros, Rio de Janeiro/RJ), Cécilia Olliveira for “How a militia man is born” (Bazar do Temps, Belo Horizonte/MG), and Octavio Santiago Neto for “All I know is it was like that” (Authentic Publisher, Natal).
Deliberation Timeline and Ceremonial Schedule
The governance of the 48th edition is coordinated by a network of partners including the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUCSP), the PUC Theatre, TV PUC, CDI, and OBORÉ, with journalist Ana Luisa Zaniboni Gomes serving as curator. Petrobras, Caixa, and the federal government sponsor the initiative through the Law of Incentive to Culture.
- Public Deliberation and Winners Announcement: Wednesday, September 30, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM, broadcast live on the official YouTube channel.
- Roundtable with Winners: Tuesday, October 20, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Tucarena (PUCSP), Rua Bartira, 347, Perdizes, SP.
- Awards Ceremony: October 20 at 8:00 PM at Tucarena (PUCSP).
