A data journalism project by HumAngle’s Mansir Muhammed has been selected among the ten winners of the Sigma Awards 2024 celebrating outstanding data journalism projects done globally.
Mansir Muhammed’s work using satellite image analysis and other open-source intelligence to reveal the mass grave of victims of insurgency in the northeast was published alongside an extensive investigation by Kunle Adebajo, Humangle’s head of Investigation in collaboration with New Lines Magazine.
The project made it to the list of ten winners from 591 entries submitted from 322 organisations in 78 countries, amongst which 52 were earlier shortlisted.
The ten winners were revealed by the prize committee made up of Dataphyte’s Joshua Olufemi and other data journalists and data scientists from different continents on 22 March 2024, during a livestream on the Sigmas YouTube channel.
Comment on HumAngle’s project by the prize committee reads: “This story is an excellent example of the growing sophistication in using open source methods for investigative stories – something that has been done traditionally only by the heavyweights in large news organizations, but which has become a much more democratized capability. The work demonstrates a methodology that other newsrooms could also use.”
While commenting on the winning entries for this edition of the award, co-chairs of the Sigma Awards, Gina Chua and Arnold Pulhofer noted that public service, importance and value to the community, excellent presentation of findings and the storytelling techniques employed distinguished the ten winners.
Other winning projects from various parts of the world used data to reveal racial injustice, discrimination against groups of people, extrajudicial killings and torture, Generative AI bias, environmental crisis, crime and warfare.
The Sigma Awards is a competition to celebrate the best data journalism from around the world. It also empower, elevate and enlighten the global community of data journalists.
This year’s winners will share a cash prize of $5000 and be part of the panel discussing their data journalism works at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia next month.
