Ali Al Ibrahim awarded the 2023 AACR June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism

During the opening ceremony of the AACR Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, on April 16th, 2023, investigative journalist Ali Al Ibrahim was honoured with a commemorative award and a cash prize of $5,000. His article on how Syrians are deprived of cancer treatment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing conflict, and the resulting border closures with Turkey won him the June L. Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism in the ‘Online/Multimedia’ category.

Commenting on Al Ibrahim’s article, the judges said:

‘Through a mixture of storytelling, videography, and photography, Ali Al Ibrahim profiles cancer survivors living in Syria and highlights the challenges they faced crossing the AlHawa border into Turkey after it closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Al Ibrahim interviews Syrians stranded at the border, unable to access the vital cancer treatment they had previously been receiving in Turkey and shines a spotlight on the devastating consequences. This poignant piece draws attention to the heart-breaking impact that the pandemic, especially when coupled with ongoing conflict and violence, had on some of the most vulnerable patients with cancer around the world.’

Ali Al Ibrahim is a Syrian journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. In Syria, he worked as a video journalist and reporter for several TV channels and newspapers, reporting on the conflict in the country. Al Ibrahim founded and is the Managing Editor of SIRAJ (Syrian Investigative Reporting for Accountability Journalism), the first Syrian organisation of its kind. He was the ICORN resident in the Swedish County of Jönköping between 2016 and 2018. Ali has continued his award-winning journalism from exile and is currently a TED and Reuters Insitute Fellow, as well as a university lecturer.

Named after scientist Dr June L. Biedler, the AACR Prize for Cancer Journalism is aimed at raising awareness of the role of journalism in public health education and cancer research. It recognises outstanding journalistic coverage of cancer-related topics. As the prize was not awarded in 2022 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2023 edition considered journalistic submissions from the period from January 1st, 2020, to November 30th, 2022.

Please follow these links to read Ali Al Ibrahim’s award-winning article, ACCR’s press release, and Jönköping County’s ICORN news page.