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EU Launches 17th Edition of the 'Samir Kassir' Award for Freedom of Press

Samir Kassir Award For Freedom of Press
Samir Kassir Award For Freedom of Press
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EU Launches 17th Edition of the 'Samir Kassir' Award for Freedom of Press

Samir Kassir Award For Freedom of Press
Samir Kassir Award For Freedom of Press

The European Union and the Samir Kassir Foundation launched the 17th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press on Wednesday.

The award, which the European Union has been handing out since 2006, honors the Lebanese journalist and writer Samir Kassir, who was assassinated in 2005. Over 3,000 candidates from the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa have taken part since it began.

In a video message shared on social media and broadcast on television, European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf encouraged journalists from across the region to participate in this year’s edition.

“Together, let us continue defending freedom of expression and keeping democracy alive,” he said.

For her part, Samir Kassir Foundation President Gisele Khoury stressed the importance of the award as “it perpetuates a legacy that believes in freedom of expression… It is a beacon of hope for new journalists to help them preserve their profession and their freedom.”

The contest is open to candidates from North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf. The deadline for sending in applications is April 1st, 2022. Three awards will be granted for the best:

- Opinion Article
- Investigative Article
- Audiovisual News Report

The contributions must be centered on one or more of the following topics: the rule of law, human rights, good governance, fight against corruption, freedom of expression, democratic development, and citizen participation. The winner of each of the three categories will receive a prize of €10,000.

The jury will be composed of seven voting members from Arab and European media outlets and one observer representing the European Union. The names of the jury members will be released during the award ceremony, which will be held on June 1st, 2022, in Beirut, on the eve of the 17th anniversary of Samir Kassir’s assassination.

The contest regulations, application forms and details of the candidature file are available: www.samirkassiraward.org

For more information, send an email to: [email protected]

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Varieties

Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore Among Those who Lost Homes in Los Angeles Fires

A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
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Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore Among Those who Lost Homes in Los Angeles Fires

A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)

Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events.
Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens, The Associated Press reported.
More than 1,900 structures have been destroyed and the number is expected to increase. More than 130,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt.
Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards.
Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry:
Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost.
The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years.
“Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this,” the Crystals wrote in the statement.
Mandy Moore lost her home in the Altadena neighborhood roughly 30 miles east of the Palisades.
“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too,” Moore wrote on Instagram in a post that included video of devastated streets in the foothill suburb.
“Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control,” Moore wrote.
Hilton posted a news video clip on Instagram and said it included footage of her destroyed home in Malibu. “This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London,” she said, referencing her young children."
Elwes, the star of “The Princess Bride” and numerous other films, wrote on Instagram Wednesday that his family was safe but their home had burned in the coastal Palisades fire. “Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire,” Elwes wrote.
The blazes have thrown Hollywood's carefully orchestrated awards season into disarray.
Awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed due to the fires. The AFI Awards, which were set to honor “Wicked,” “Anora” and other awards season contenders, had been scheduled for Friday.
The AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, which honor movies and television shows that resonate with older audiences, were set for Friday but have been postponed.
The Critics Choice Awards, originally scheduled for Sunday, have been postponed until Feb. 26.
Each of the shows feature projects that are looking for any advantage they can get in the Oscar race and were scheduled during the Academy Awards voting window.
The Oscar nominations are also being delayed two days to Jan. 19 and the film academy has extended the voting window to accommodate members affected by the fires.