Awards

Gwen Ifill Award

The Gwen Ifill Award was established to honor the memory of the legendary co-anchor of the PBS NewsHour, who passed away in November 2016. Gwen Ifill was among the most respected journalists of our time, a trailblazer and an incredible role model and mentor for young journalists. The Award is given annually to an outstanding female journalist of color whose work carries forward Ifill’s legacy.

The Award is open to U.S. women and non-binary journalists of color working in the news media. Candidates for the award will be evaluated on criteria including their record of outstanding achievement in journalism, and the extent to which they represent the values Ifill embodied, including in the areas of mentorship, leadership, and commitment to diversity in journalism.

The 2023 Gwen Ifill Award recipient is Karen Grigsby Bates, journalist and founding member of NPR’s award-winning show, Code Switch. Read the press release here.

“I was drawn to journalism because of the need to be the necessary voice – not to force my opinions on others but to broaden the stage for the debate.” — Gwen Ifill

Seeing Gwen on television at the news desk meant something for a lot of people, myself included. It meant 'si se puede' – yes we can. It’s such an honor to receive this award in her name and be recognized for the work I love doing.
Mc Nelly Torres 2022 Gwen Ifill Awardee