More than 400 entries from 85 countries were received and reviewed by an independent panel of five judges , using criteria including creativity, accuracy and balance, protection of migrants and positive portrayal of labour migration. The winning entries were selected from a shortlist of finalists , which the judges praised for the quality of the reporting. Prizes were awarded in two categories:
Professional category:
- Risk, rewards and remittances in Vietnam's Nghe An province , by Sen Nguyen, published in Al Jazeera (20 July 2023)
- Harvesting Heat , by Sofía Álvarez Jurado, Claudia Colliva and Giada Cristal Santana Eusebio, published in Are We Europe (31 July 2023)
- Too Hot To Work , by Tom Laffay, Jacob Templin, Justine Simons, Karif Wat, Ed Kashi, Aryn Baker, Elijah Wolfson and Diane Tsai, published in Context (15 November 2022)
Student category:
- Vulnerability of Indonesian Fishing Boat Crew to Exploitation, Violence, and Discrimination as an Effect of Dualism in Licensing [unpublished], by Annisa Zulfalia Az Zahra and Almira Khairunnisa Suhendra
The stories highlight the importance of good governance of labour migration and protection of migrant workers’ rights - including in relation to recruitment fees and costs - in line with International Labour Standards as well as with the ILO’s General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment and Definition of Recruitment Fees and Related Costs . These principles reiterate, among other points, that workers should not be charged fees or related costs for their recruitment, and call for fair and effective labour migration frameworks, institutions and services to protect migrant workers.
The Competition contributes to some of the targets of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact for Refugees , which include improving working conditions for migrant workers and positively influencing public narratives on migration.
The Competition is organized in partnership with the International Trade Union Confederation, the International Organisation of Employers, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Federation of Journalists, Equal Times, Solidarity Centre, and Migrant Forum in Asia. The Competition is supported by the ‘Integrated Programme on Fair Recruitment – Phase III ’ (FAIR III) and the Bridge Project .
(published on ILO web site on 14.12.2023)