Mobile Journalism Awards Names First-Ever Best News Creator Winner
The Mobile Journalism Awards has named CNN producer Kareem El Damanhoury the first-ever winner of Best News Creator Story, marking a milestone for the Mobile Journalism Awards as Season 7 winners were announced at the NAB Show.
El Damanhoury received the Best News Creator honor in person from peers at the Broadcast Education Association, while winners from Sweden and Bangladesh were also recognized for standout mobile-first storytelling.
Eight MOJO films have been nominated in Season Six of the Mobile Journalism Awards.
Category winners will be announced April 12, 2025 at the live awards show at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy.
Finalists films will also join the permanent collection of the best work from previous seasons.
Nominees are awarded a $500 prize voucher from the Smart Film School.
Congratulations to:
Beloved, hated tourist: Have we destroyed Mallorca? By Sebastian Strandberg Crisis reporting Sweden
NO 16 By Nadeera Shehan Arumawadu Crisis Reporting Sri Lanka
A lifeline for Baltic cod Calle Elfström Documentary Sweden
Ariane tried caving near Paris in France Ariane Limozin Documentary France
My First Starling Murmuration Ben McGrail Mobile Journalism United Kingdom
Greenland: Fishing among icebergs Leonor Suárez Rural Voices Spain
Boggabilla teens find their voice in a shipping container turned recording studio James Ellis Paras, Max Anthony Tillman Rural Voices Australia
Screenshot
The top films from this year’s competition will be screened in April at the NABshow in Las Vegas and the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy.
Winners will be announced, followed by a panel discussion with judges.
Prize sponsors include Blackmagic Design, IFAD (United Nations), and the Smart Film School.
The winner of the Rural Voices category wins $1,000 cash and travel to Perugia to accept the prize.
The annual competition attracts film story entries from mobile journalists reporting in more than 40 countries.
SEASON SIX JUDGES include Johanna Rüdiger, Michelle Porter, Aphrodite Salas, Rob Layton, Bart Weiss, Robert Stewart, and Naila Hamdy.
Additional screenings are also made by invitation at global journalism conferences and other events organized by U.S. Speaker Program.
PRIZES
Blackmagic Design is donating four DaVinci Resolve Speed Editors (which includes the DaVinci Resolve Studio) to the prize pool that will be awarded to the winners of the next #MojoAwards competition.
Each journalist who has a story selected as a finalist will also be awarded a $500 gift certificate from the Smart Film School.
This allows scholars from all walks of life to review the collective body of documentary film work and new entries from each year’s competition results.
MADE FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND PROFESSIONALS
Students need not be intimidated to submit their work. In fact, a female student from Mexico was awarded Best Documentary honors in season two.
CATEGORIES
Mobile Journalism • An open call for feature stories, news reports, travel stories, and human-interest features that have been shot primarily with smartphones.
NOTE: Judges can make several awards from work entered into this category. It all depends upon the variety, originality and quality of the work sent in.
• Assets from other small mobile gear like portable mics, GoPros, Drones, 360° and Action Cams is allowed. • English Subtitles (burned in) are mandatory for any non-English scenes. • All aspect ratios are supported (Square, Horizontal, Vertical).
Documentary • Non-fiction subject between 3 and 10 minutes in length on any topic. Must be accurately reported with integrity using journalism ethics. Creative approaches to editorial illustration and narrative exposition that push the frontier of the documentary genre forward are certainly welcome.
Crisis Reporting Entries may consist of reports, documentaries, live shots, news packages, or human-interest features that have been shot primarily with smartphones. • Stories can be filmed in any location (battlefield, border crossings, homes, in transit, or anywhere necessary to tell the story of the crisis). • Assets from other small mobile gear like portable mics, GoPros, Drones, 360°, and Action Cams is allowed, but material that was clearly produced with the capabilities of larger cameras is ineligible. • English Subtitles (burned in) are mandatory for any non-English scenes. All aspect ratios are supported (Square, Horizontal, Vertical).
Rural Voices This award will go to the best story (shot on a mobile phone) highlighting rural issues or reporting on the challenges of daily life of people living in rural or remote areas of the world, whether focused on food security, the effects of climate change and challenges of farming, issues around connectivity, access to markets/transport etc., challenges of youth unemployment or other.
We are particularly interested in entries from people living in fragile environments and crisis areas. Entries from rural women, youth and people from indigenous communities are particularly welcome.
The 2025 University Edition of the Mobile Journalism textbook is now available for universities to purchase for journalism educators and students.
This book is the preferred text for professors teaching courses in smartphone video production, mobile journalism, digital marketing, broadcast reporting, and mobile filmmaking. The book is required reading for students in the Singapore University of Social Sciences Digital Marketing program.
The latest edition of “Mobile Journalism” is here, offering a comprehensive guide to multimedia storytelling with smartphones.
Featuring 200 full-color pages, along with numerous videos and downloadable resources, this edition is a must-have for reporters, editors, producers, students, and media faculty.
What sets the 2025 edition apart are the fresh case studies highlighting the experiences of industry experts like Ros Atkins from the BBC, Johanna Rüdiger from Deutsche Welle, Mike Reilley, Rob Layton, Leonor Suárez, and Lyn-Yi Chung. These professionals share their insights, along with the latest tech, techniques, and global case studies, making this edition a valuable resource for anyone interested in mobile journalism.
Marcela Kunova of Journalism Co UK describes this edition as the ‘MOJO bible,’ encompassing 12 chapters that delve into the world of mobile journalism. Whether you’re looking to enhance your skills, stay updated on industry trends, or simply explore the power of smartphone storytelling, “Mobile Journalism” has you covered.
Explore fresh insights on utilizing the AI toolkit, uncover behind-the-scenes processes for creating full-length TV documentaries using mobile equipment, and discover what it means to be a respected news influencer reporter.
PURCHASE ORDERS FOR UNIVERSITIES
The University edition is available for universities for journalism educators and students. Contact us for purchase order information.
Instructors can request a review copy for the purposes of designing a course and assigning the book to students. Request your complimentary instructor review copy today.
Use your official university or school email address when making your request
Remember, this textbook is refreshed annually in the spring to incorporate the most recent technologies and methodologies.
The book is distributed as an interactive PDF and is delivered once a purchase order is completed with your institution.
The ‘Bible of Mobile Journalism.’
Marcela Kunova, Editor, Journalism Co UK
Written for reporters, editors, producers, students and media faculty, this ‘MOJO bible’ features 12 chapters on multimedia storytelling, photo journalism, graphics, video editing, live reporting, and all the kit and apps that fuel mobile journalism.
The Mobile Journalism textbook features 200 full-color pages, dozens of videos, and downloadable resources. It is the #MOJO bible used by journalism teachers everywhere.
Faculty and students are eligible to win a $1,000 cash prize and paid travel to the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy where their winning film will be screened at a special event.
This prize and the travel award is thanks to a new mobile documentary film category and sponsor of Mobile Journalism Awards — The United Nations IFAD agency in Rome.
Blackmagic Design is also donating four DaVinci Resolve Speed Editors (which includes the DaVinci Resolve Studio) to the prize pool that will be awarded to the winners of the next #MojoAwards competition.
The Mobile Journalism Awards is an annual film competition produced by the Visual Editors Non-Profit to identify, advance and celebrate the best mobile journalism reporting each year.
Blackmagic Design is donating four DaVinci Resolve Speed Editors (which includes the DaVinci Resolve Studio) to the prize pool that will be awarded to the winners of the next #MojoAwards competitiont.
The Mobile Journalism Awards is an annual film competition produced by the Visual Editors Non-Profit to identify, advance and celebrate the best mobile journalism reporting each year.
The fifth season of the #MojoAwards is complete and three #Mojo films have been selected for the categories: Documentary, Mobile Journalism, and Crisis Reporting.
The fourth season of the #MojoAwards is complete and three #Mojo films have been selected for the three categories: Best Documentary, Best Mobile Journalism, and Best Crisis Reporting.
