About the Afghanistan's Journalist of the Year Award
The Afghanistan Journalist of the Year Award has been bestowed annually since 2014 in conjunction with National Journalist Day, gradually gaining prominence to become the preeminent award in Afghanistan. The announcement of the Afghanistan Journalist of the Year Award has become a notable component of the annual National Journalist's Day celebration.
Award History
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide including Afghanistan as World Press Freedom Day.
In 2014, Ahmed Quraishi, the executive director of the Afghanistan Journalists Center(AFJC), shared his proposal with the organization's advisory board to designate a day towards the end of Afghanistan's official Solar Hijri civil calendar as Journalist Day. After consulting with media representatives across the country, the AFJC advisory board, comprising prominent Afghan journalists such as Faisal Karimi, Aziz Hakimi, Imam Mohammad Warymoch, Mohammad Wais Khetab, Lotfullah Najafizada, and Parwiz Kawa, reached a decision to designate the 27th of Hoot, the last month of the Solar Hijri Year (March 18), as "Journalist Day." This significant milestone was announced on March 18, 2014, and was warmly received by journalists nationwide. Consequently, in 2018, after the tireless efforts of lobbying and campaigning for five years, the government officially recognized and incorporated 'National Journalist Day' into the Afghan calendar.
As part of this ongoing initiative, AFJC annually honors top Afghan journalists for their outstanding individual performance over the year with the prestigious "Afghanistan Journalist of the Year" award. These outstanding individuals are selected by a distinguished jury committee.
