Olga Rudenko and Mykhailo Tkach Become 2026 Gongadze Prize Laureates

In 2026, the members of the Jury of the Georgiy Gongadze Prize selected two laureates — Olga Rudenko, editor-in-chief and co-founder of the English-language media The Kyiv Independent, and Mykhailo Tkach, head of the investigations department at Ukrainska Pravda.

The Gongadze Prize is an award recognizing journalists’ professional consistency and commitment to the values of journalism over the years. It is not presented for individual pieces of work, but rather evaluates the activities and impact of media professionals over an extended period.

Each year, the laureates are selected by the Jury — an independent body consisting of nine members. The selection process includes three stages: nomination of candidates to the longlist (January), formation of the shortlist through a closed vote (February), and the final selection of laureates through a secret ballot (March).

The members of the Capitula in 2026 were: Myroslava Gongadze, Volodymyr Yermolenko, Lev Zhydenko, Pavlo Kazarin, Serhii Kvit, Dmytro Lykhovii, Ivan Liubysh-Kirdei, Sevgil Musaieva, and Oksana Romaniuk.

Among the main criteria for nomination are commitment to the principles of independent journalism, innovation, influence on the development of the media environment, and the creation of materials that contribute to social change and a better understanding of important issues.

Anton Artemenko, a representative of the Patrons Community, presenting the statuettes to this year’s laureates, noted:

"Today’s nominees are united by a heightened sense of justice, an inability to calmly accept falsehood, a will to resist and fight, and creativity. This is precisely the vision of a free, indivisible, and prosperous Ukraine that is so important for all of us."

Receiving the award, Olga Rudenko noted that it was an honour to be nominated for the Prize for the third time. According to her, every year she emphasizes that this distinction is a recognition of the work of the Kyiv Independent team.

"I very much hope that this Prize will always honour not only good and high-quality journalism, but also courageous and free journalism... Precisely because of whose name it bears, this Prize brings together people who remain free and committed to the truth. If a journalist is truly free, they may be controversial, make mistakes, and be widely disliked. But they will never be compromising or convenient, just like the journalist whose name has brought us together here today."

Serhii Kvit, a member of the 2026 Prize Jury and President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, explained the Jury’s choice:

"The clearest embodiment of the idea of public interest is local media. Therefore, the school of regional media through which Olga passed is important. Olga Rudenko believes in justice. She does not believe in burnout. She loves telling compelling stories... Olga always emphasizes the importance of her team’s engagement and dedication to the Kyiv Independent project."

During the gala ceremony, Mykhailo Tkach said:

"To those who do not want us to tell society about backroom agreements and secret meetings where state matters are often decided in favour of private individuals, I would like to respond by paraphrasing the famous politician and journalist Winston Churchill. We will film them on beaches, on coastlines, in fields and on streets, we will film them on the hills. We will film them, and we will never surrender."

Oksana Romaniuk, a member of the 2026 Jury and Director of the Institute of Mass Information, introducing Mykhailo, stressed:

"Today, the word ‘justice’ has been heard several times from this stage. And I believe this word is exactly about Mykhailo, just as it is about Georgiy... The results of Mykhailo’s work bring change not only within Ukraine, but also at the international level."

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty war correspondent Marian Kushnir became another nominee for the 2026 Prize.

Introducing Marian, Ivan Liubysh-Kirdei, a Jury member and laureate of the 2025 Georgiy Gongadze Prize, emphasized that all journalists working in Ukraine during the war deserve applause, respect, and recognition.

"At the centre of Marian’s work there is always a person... Journalism and journalistic values are in Marian’s blood, and he does all of this instinctively. He does not work for likes on social media, but documents and conveys the truth to people," he said.

Speaking as a nominee, Marian Kushnir said:

"There is currently no exact statistic on the number of people killed by Russia during the war... It may seem that Russia has stolen our time. But that is not entirely true. As long as my colleagues and I continue documenting all of this..., we are winning time for the future. Our photographs, videos, and texts are testimony for the future. I will certainly continue showing the war until it ends."

Maksym Butkevych — human rights defender, journalist, civic activist, and veteran — also addressed the audience during the event.

"We have a right to know the truth. And it is journalists who ensure this right... This is exactly why our colleagues became priority targets for the occupiers in the occupied territories... This right to the truth is something that exists for us and does not exist in the worldview that the occupiers are trying to impose on us... And we must defend the truth in this war," he stressed.

A memorial video honouring media professionals who lost their lives over the past year, shown during the event, was prepared by the Memorial Memory Platform team.

The ceremony was hosted by Myroslava Barchuk, journalist, television presenter, documentary filmmaker, and laureate of the 2021 Georgiy Gongadze Prize, together with Zurab Alasania, journalist and media manager. The directors of the Ceremony were Dmytro and Stanislav Veselskyi.

The general information partner of the event was Suspilne Broadcasting.

Bandura player, composer, and singer Maryna Krut also performed during the event together with the string quartet Infinito.

The Georgiy Gongadze Prize is awarded thanks to the support of patrons who ensure its sustainability and development. The patrons are exclusively graduates of the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School who support the values of the Prize and seek to transform Ukrainian society through high-quality professional journalism.

The patrons of the Prize in 2026 are: Anton Artemenko, Dmytro Brezynskyi, Olha Velyka, Mykola Viknianskyi, Volodymyr Demchenko, Maksym Diadyk, Lev Zhydenko, Dmytro Kazanin, Dmytro Kovalenko, Mykola Nechytailo, Liudmyla Perebyinos, Oksana Prosolenko, Mykola Sushko, and Adam Kharlampovych.

The Ceremony was held with the support of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Representation in Ukraine. General information partner: Suspilne Broadcasting.

Information partners of the 2026 Georgiy Gongadze Prize Ceremony: Espreso, NV, Lviv Media Forum, Detector Media, Institute of Mass Information, Media Center Ukraine, Commission on Journalistic Ethics, Donbas Media Forum, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and The Ukrainians.