Viory launches Global South Video News Awards to spotlight visual journalism

A major new journalism award has entered the global media arena as Viory announced the launch of the Global South Video News Awards in Abu Dhabi, positioning the initiative as a long overdue platform to recognise the visual storytellers reshaping how the world understands the Global South.

For years, stories from the Global South have been underrepresented or filtered through outdated frames. Today, the region is not emerging, it has arrived. Its journalists are shaping global narratives, setting creative standards and capturing the truth of events as they unfold. Against this backdrop, the new awards become more than a ceremony; they serve as a celebration of work that has too often gone unseen or under-recognised.

At a time when newsrooms are scrambling for authentic reporting and on-the-ground perspectives, Viory is putting significant weight behind the voices closest to the stories.

The awards will honour footage published between December 1, 2024 and December 1, 2025, with four winners receiving Dh12,000 each. The awards ceremony will be hosted during BRIDGE Summit on December 9.

The programme underscores the shift in global news consumption. Audiences are demanding immediacy, credibility and real human context, and much of that is being delivered by video journalists operating across the Global South.

In an age defined by real-time content and rising challenges around misinformation, verified, exclusive on-the-ground footage has never been more essential. Viory’s new awards aim to elevate that work and give it the international recognition it has long lacked.

The awards span four categories. The Vital Footage Award category recognises footage without which important stories could not have been fully told, giving voice to perspectives that change perception. The Best Camerawork category honours exceptional technical precision fused with artistic mastery in composition, framing, light, shadow, colour and atmosphere. The Exclusive Lens category celebrates unique footage that captured key moments or perspectives essential to covering major stories and the Most Creative Shot rewards bold, innovative production techniques that make stories more impactful and immersive.

A jury of editors and media leaders from across the region will select 12 nominees who will be invited to Abu Dhabi for the ceremony.

Zulayho Siddikova, General Manager of Viory, said the initiative reflects the growing appetite for unfiltered reporting.

“The Global South Video News Awards celebrate journalism that matters. Work that does not just tell stories but makes audiences live them,” she said.

The inaugural edition is backed by a consortium of partners including the BRIDGE Summit, Emirates News Agency, TRENDS Research and Advisory, the University of Sharjah, the African Union of Broadcasting, AIBD, the Union of OIC News Agencies and the O.I.C States Broadcasting Union.

Viory, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has rapidly grown into a key video news hub for the Global South, supplying breaking news, political developments, business stories, sport, technology and culture coverage through a network of thousands of video journalists. Its platform hosts more than 180,000 clips and over 400 hours of monthly live streams across six languages.

Wherever the story unfolds, Viory and its journalists are there; capturing the moments that define how the world sees the Global South today and for years to come.

For more information, visit Viory Awards.