Guardian international correspondent Lorenzo Tondo and photographer Alessio Mamo have been awarded the prestigious Ryszard Kapuściński prize, named after the legendary Polish war correspondent and author. The annual award, organized by the Italian Geographical Society in collaboration with Kapuściński's family, honors journalists and photographers who have distinguished themselves through reporting from war zones and humanitarian crises.
The award ceremony will take place on 12 June in Rome at the Palazzetto Mattei during the Festival of Travel Literature. The prize will be presented by Kapuściński's daughter, Rene Maisner.
Previous Recipients
Past winners include Israeli journalist Gideon Levy, photographer Letizia Battaglia, Scottish writer William Dalrymple, Belgian historian David Van Reybrouck, New York Times photographer Paolo Pellegrin, and French writer Sylvain Tesson. This prize should not be confused with the Ryszard Kapuściński award, presented annually in Warsaw for best translated reportage books.
Lorenzo Tondo's Work
Tondo, 44, joined the Guardian in 2016 and has reported extensively from Ukraine, the Middle East, and Mediterranean migration routes. The jury praised him for "the rigour of his reporting and the narrative depth with which he has chronicled some of the most significant crises of our time." His work includes coverage of conflicts across the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as his book Trame di guerra (Threads of War).
Alessio Mamo's Photography
Mamo, 49, is a freelance photographer and film-maker based in Sicily and the Middle East. A regular Guardian contributor, he has won the World Press Photo award and an Amnesty International media award. The jury recognized his "ability to use photography as a contemporary tool of reporting and rigorous witness."
Antonio Politano, artistic director of the Festival of Travel Literature, said: "More than writers, it is journalists and photographers who continue to travel and to push the boundaries of expression." He quoted Kapuściński: "The most valuable journey is that of reportage: the ethnographic or anthropological journey undertaken to better understand the world."
Collaborative Work
Tondo and Mamo have worked closely together since 2017. In 2018, they traveled through the Balkans to investigate allegations of migrant abuse by Croatian officials, providing first video evidence. In 2022, they spent over two years in Ukraine, documenting civilian massacres and war crimes. In 2023, after the Turkey-Syria earthquake, they gained access to rebel-held Idlib to document devastation. Last summer, they flew over Gaza aboard a Jordanian military aircraft, capturing images of neighborhoods reduced to rubble.
About Ryszard Kapuściński
Kapuściński was a Polish journalist, photographer, and author who served as the communist-era Polish Press Agency's only correspondent in Africa during decolonization. His celebrated works include Another Day of Life and The Emperor. He remains the most widely translated Polish author globally.
