The Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), an international aid organisation that supports local partners as they create sustainable change for their communities, has announced a call for entries for The HART Prize for Human Rights 2026: Journalism, a new category spotlighting frontline journalists living and working in Nigeria.
The prize is for journalists working under extreme pressure and reporting with precision, courage, and care.
The HART Prize 2026 consists of three categories, namely:
- Creative (ages 11-25): Bring stories of forgotten conflicts to life. Use painting, poetry, sculpture, collage, or a 60-second film to highlight places ignored by the media.
- Essay (ages 11-25): Submit a compelling piece exploring a forgotten conflict. We seek entries demonstrating deep understanding, clarity and empathy. Maximum 1000 words.
- Journalism (Nigeria): Calling frontline journalists who live and work in Nigeria. Submit an article or blog post about a hidden crisis. We maintain an urgent focus on the Middle Belt.
The Journalism category is open to journalists, aged 18 and above, who live and work in Nigeria and report important human rights issues that do not get mainstream attention.
HART is particularly interested to receive an original article or blog post about escalating intercommunal violence in the Middle Belt (of an 800-word limit, excluding footnotes and references).
To enter, a journalist submits an article or blog post about a hidden crisis or human rights abuse. HART is maintaining an urgent focus on the Middle Belt. The material should spotlight a forgotten conflict or human rights issue that does not have mainstream attention.
Entries, including photos of creative pieces, must be included in the Entry Form as HART cannot accept physical entries.
Prizes will be announced on social media after the closing date.
For additional information, accessibility assistance or support, prospective applicants may contact prize@hart-uk.org.
The competition is free to enter and runs from Monday, March 16 to Friday, May 15, 2026. To enter, go to: hart-uk.org/prize
