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 2022 Gwen Ifill Award recipient is Center for Public Integrity editor Mc Nelly Torres.

“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