Winners of the AIBs 2023 revealed
Clive Myrie and Nicky Woolf acclaimed presenters of the year
20 winners of 19th annual international AIBs celebrating journalism and factual productions revealed in London
The winners of the 19th annual AIBs have been revealed at a glittering awards dinner in London. The AIBs reward the best international journalism and factual productions across TV, radio, and digital platforms. Over 400 hours of content were submitted to the 2023 competition and 50 judges around the world evaluated the shortlist.
Guests from countries as diverse as South Korea, Norway, Canada, Germany, South Africa, the UAE, Taiwan, France, and the UK joined the celebration at Church House Westminster, right alongside Westminster Abbey. The evening’s host was veteran journalist and news anchor Simon McCoy.
Opening the evening, AIB chief executive Simon Spanswick said: “this competition is needed more than ever, as we face a world in increasing chaos and danger. In many areas, that chaos and danger threaten media freedom and the ability of journalists to hold power to account.
“That’s why journalists and producers need to shout about their work and remind everyone about the importance of journalism and the need to bring stories to global audiences.”
Guests at the awards night saw and heard clips from all the shortlisted entries. Many said that the range of journalism was so wide and absorbing that they want to watch and listen to all the programmes in full.
Collecting the award for the Specialist Factual TV/Video category was Sir Michael Palin, who was rewarded for his programme Michael Palin: Into Iraq.
Commenting on the AIBs awards night, Sir Michael said: “I’m interested in news, and I’m interested in how people report on different places. What struck me tonight is the very difficult areas which these people have gone into, to reveal what’s really going on.”
Across the 20 categories there were commendations from the judges, and an overall winner.
See the Winners’ and Finalist Book here.
NEWS COVERAGE
TV/VIDEO
Winner – The War in Ukraine – BBC News
Highly commended – Afghanistan after the Taliban – BBC News
NEWS COVERAGE
RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST
Winner – Partygate: The Inside Story – ITV News
Highly commended – The Death and Funeral of HM The Queen – BBC News Content for BBC News
SHORT FEATURE
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Hell on Earth: Darién Gap – The Deadly Migrant Route – ITN Productions for Channel 4 (Channel 4 News)
Highly commended – We CRASHED a BMW S1000 RR Superbike while filming with LEGEND Troy Corser – Deutsche Welle – DW
Highly commended – Eco-Warriors of Africa – VOA
HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Eternal Spring (長春) – Lofty Sky Entertainment
Highly commended – Murder in the Pacific – An Oxford Scientific Films production for BBC
SPORTS JOURNALISM
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Fault Lines: Blood Sport – Al Jazeera English
SPECIALIST FACTUAL
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Michael Palin: Into Iraq – ITN Productions for Channel 5
Highly commended – The East End Through Time with Jay Blades – Hungry Jay Media for Channel 5
Highly commended – Spike Milligan: The Unseen Archive – Yeti Television
SPECIALIST FACTUAL
RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST
Winner – Shock and War: Iraq 20 Years On – BBC Long Form Audio
Highly commended – Finding Samantha – RTÉ
Highly commended – First Eat with Nakkiah Lui – Pipi Films for Audible Australia
INVESTIGATIVE DOCUMENTARY
TV/VIDEO
Winner – The Monkey Haters – BBC Eye / BBC World Service
Highly commended – Wayne Couzens: Killer in Plain Sight – Flicker Productions for Channel 5
INVESTIGATIVE DOCUMENTARY
RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST
Winner – The Shamima Begum Story – BBC News Long Form Audio
Highly commended – The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome – Project Brazen / Goat Rodeo
HUMAN INTEREST
RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST
Winner – Love, Janessa – BBC World Service and CBC Podcasts by Antica Productions and Telltale Industries
Highly Commended – This Coal Life – Radio Workshop NPC
HUMAN INTEREST
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Lyra – Erica Starling Productions for Channel 4
Highly Commended – Murder in Mayfair – BBC Arabic, BBC Current Affairs
Highly Commended – Nazanin – 649 Media for Channel 4
SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Under Poisoned Skies – BBC News Arabic
Highly Commended – TechXplore Japan – Electric Eel Studios for BBC World Service
Highly commended – We Can Do Hard Things – Very! for CNA, Mediacorp Pte Ltd
NATURAL HISTORY
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Ningaloo Nyinggulu – Artemis Media in Association with Matter of Factual for ABC and Love Nature
Highly Commended – 101 East: Mining the Pacific – Al Jazeera English
Highly Commended – Australia’s Wild Odyssey – Wild Pacific Media for Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Arte France
POLITICS and BUSINESS
TV/VIDEO
Winner – India: The Modi Question – BBC Current Affairs
Highly commended – The Labour Files – Al Jazeera I-Unit
Highly commended – Sudan and the Long reach of Russia’s Ukraine War – CNN Worldwide
DOCUDRAMA
RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST
Winner – Before-After: Anna Lindh 2003 – Swedish Radio Drama
DOCUDRAMA
TV/VIDEO
Winner – The Confession – ITN Productions for Amazon Prime Video
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
DOCUMENTARY
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Panorama: Mariupol – The People’s Story – Top Hat Productions/Hayloft Productions
Highly Commended – Our World – I Call Him by His Name – International Current Affairs, BBC
Highly Commended – The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper – The Trek: A Migrant Trail to America – CNN Worldwide
DOMESTIC AFFAIRS
DOCUMENTARY
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Saudi Arabia Wields Cinema as a Tool of Soft Power – France 24 and Nicolas Bertrand
Highly Commended – Kenya – Fighting for Water | Off The Grid – TRT WORLD
PRESENTER of the YEAR
RADIO/AUDIO/PODCAST
Winner – Nicky Wool
PRESENTER of the YEAR
TV/VIDEO
Winner – Clive Myrie
The 2024 AIBs – the 20th that the Association for International Broadcasting will stage – are set to open for entry in April, with the awards event in London, shortly after the US Presidential Elections.