Liz Cookman, an independent reporter, has been declared the mammoth of the inaugural Dave McKechnie Journalism Memorial Prize. For the last two and a half years, Ms Cookman has been stationed in Ukraine and has spent durations in cities such as Kyiv, Dnipro, and Mariupol before it was overtaken by Russian troops, from where she has been reporting on the unfolding war.
Her past assignments were based out of Turkey and Abu Dhabi, apart from her 2020 coverage of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Guardian, the Economist, and Channel 4 News are among many places where her work has been featured. She formerly claimed the Amnesty media Gaby Rado New Journalist award for her work in Donbas and gained nomination for the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for war correspondents.
The award comes with a €3,000 cash component. The award is a tribute to the late Dave McKechnie, who was a deputy foreign editor and passed away unexpectedly in 2022 when he was 45. He started his career in football journalism and later reported from many countries like Colombia, Myanmar, Nigeria, and Brazil.
Ms Cookman won the award with an article following the “Letter from …” format, a category where Dave exceeded. The award-winning entry by Ms Cookman was presented as a Letter from Ukraine. “The ‘Letter from …’ format, familiar to readers of our World section, was the ideal showcase for Dave’s remarkable talent,” acclaimed Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, editor. He added, “Dave’s editing knowledge lent him an intuitive understanding of successful writing mechanics.”, highlighting Dave’s notable skills in keen observation and impressive writing style.
The adjudication panel chose the winning pieces from a myriad of entries, which approached their narratives from unique and often surprising perspectives. A standout was Liz Cookman’s remarkable Letter from Ukraine. Her local nail salon in Kyiv forms the backdrop, but the resilience of ordinary individuals during wartime serves as the story’s heart, making it an apt selection.
Two participants received recognition as runners-up: Ailbhe McMahon, a self-employed writer recently back from significant travel abroad, gained distinction for her “Letter from Varanasi.” Sorcha Lanigan of Cork, with educational experiences in London, Leiden, and her hometown, was acknowledged for her “Letter from Athlone”. These writings will feature in forthcoming publications.
The panel selecting the winners included international editor Chris Dooley, educational section editor Carl O’Brien, and Lilian Dorst, the spouse of Dave.