Albert-Londres Prize awarded to young journalist

Arthur Sarradin, a 26-year-old journalist, was awarded the 10th Albert-Londres Book Prize for his book Le Nom des ombres. Sortir de l'enfer concentrationnaire syrien (Seuil). The ceremony took place at the Théâtre de la Concorde in Paris and was chaired by Hervé Brusini.

Book based on Syrian prison survivors' testimonies

Sarradin’s book investigates the experiences of survivors of the Assad regime's prisons. The work was based on research conducted the day after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, on December 8, 2024, when Syrian prisons opened and survivors could share their stories for the first time.

Jury praises Sarradin's storytelling

The Albert-Londres jury praised the quality of Sarradin’s writing and storytelling. They compared his work to that of renowned authors such as Svetlana Alexievitch, Alexandre Soljenitsyne, and Primo Levi, highlighting its emotional and historical depth.

Book reconstructs Syria's repressive system

The book delves into the prison system built by the Assad family over nearly half a century. It reconstructs the mechanisms of repression using testimonies from survivors and documents from abandoned archives.

Sarradin’s background and previous recognition

Sarradin is a correspondent based in Beirut and a graduate of Saint-Joseph University. He collaborates with Liberation, Radio France, TF1/LCI, and Paris Match. He had previously been a finalist for the Albert-Londres Prize and won the Book Journalism Prize in 2026 for the same work.

Competition and prize details

For this tenth edition of the Albert-Londres Prize, 26 works were submitted, with five selected in September. Sarradin competed with four other journalists and succeeded Elena Volochine, who won in 2025 for her work on Russian propaganda. Bruno Meyerfeld and Brice Lambert were also awarded.

Albert-Londres Written Press Prize winner

Bruno Meyerfeld, 35, won the 88th Albert-Londres Written Press Prize for his reports in Le Monde on indigenous peoples in Brazil. As the newspaper's correspondent in Brazil from 2019 to early 2026, Meyerfeld documented the threats faced by the Piripkura, Guarani-Kaiowá, and Yanomami peoples.

Focus on indigenous rights and environmental destruction

Meyerfeld’s work highlighted issues such as land grabbing, deforestation, illegal gold mining, and violence against indigenous communities. His reporting focused on the destruction of their environments and the erosion of their traditional ways of life.

Meyerfeld’s previous work on Brazil

Meyerfeld is also the author of Cauchemar brésilien (Grasset, 2022), which examines the years of President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration and its impact on Brazil.

Audiovisual Prize awarded for documentary on women's rights

Brice Lambert, 40, won the 42nd Albert-Londres Audiovisual Prize for his documentary Sexe faible, l'Amérique en guerre contre ses femmes, produced by StudioFact Presse & Docs and broadcast on Arte.

Documentary explores restrictions on women's rights

Lambert’s film investigates the rollback of women's rights in the southern United States, focusing on restrictions on abortion access, early marriages, and the penal system. It gives voice to women imprisoned for violence committed by their spouses, in cases where the justice system holds them responsible for not protecting their children.

Jury compares film to The Handmaid's Tale

The jury compared Lambert’s documentary to The Handmaid's Tale, the dystopian novel by Margaret Atwood, to highlight the effects of Christian nationalism and conservative policies on American women's rights.