Kurt Schork

Kurt Schork covered numerous conflicts and wars, including The Balkans, and in Iraq, Chechnya, Iraqi Kurdistan, Sri Lanka, and East Timor.

After being shot and killed by Bosnian muslim army snipers while attempting to flee the area, their bodies remained unreachable on a bridge in no man's land for eight days as the war raged on.

The News Fixer Award, newly introduced in 2017, aims to recognise the rarely credited yet often at-risk individuals who typically act as the correspondent’s eyes and ears on the ground.

It is the fixers’ local knowledge, as well as their network of official – and unofficial – contacts that helps to secure critical interviews and access to all important areas for the out-of-town correspondents.

The prize was inspired by the freelance journalist, author and friend of Kurt Schork, Anna Husarska, and pays tribute to the vital role that these unsung heroes play in coverage from difficult, dangerous and hostile locations.