British broadcaster and foreign correspondent Jeremy Bowen has been awarded the Medal for Journalism today at Hay Festival in Wales.
Bowen was the final recipient of a Hay Festival Medal for 2026, with others including Malala Yousafzai (Medal for Education); Emma Thompson (Medal for Drama) and Michael Rosen (Medal for Poetry).
Awarded annually since Britain’s Olympic year in 2012, Hay Festival Medals draw inspiration from the original Olympic medal given for poetry. With Athena as muse, silversmith Christopher Hamilton crafts the owl-themed medal locally.
Hay Festival 2026 events are available to stream online at hayfestival.com/anytime
The journalist, best-known for his decades of international reporting from the Middle East and his role as the BBC’s International Editor, joins an alumni of journalism medal winners celebrated for their contribution to reporting including Lyse Doucet (2022); George Monbiot (2021) and Lydia Cacho (2020).
Delivering the annual Christopher Hitchens Lecture, Jeremy Bowen reflected on a career spent reporting from the frontline of conflict and examined the growing challenges facing journalism, asking the question: how do you get to the truth in a post-truth world?
Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch says:
“It’s an honour to celebrate Jeremy Bowen’s outstanding contribution to journalism with our Hay Festival Medal for Journalism. In a world where attacks on free reporting and the spread of misinformation continue to challenge how we understand global events, journalists who champion the truth are critical. We’re delighted to recognise a journalist whose work has informed and inspired generations of viewers.”
Hay Festival ran its 39th spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, with more than 600 events over 11 days, 21 – 31 May 2026.
Launching the best new fiction and non-fiction books, while sharing insights around global issues, the programme saw more than 600 artists, policymakers, pioneers and innovators take part from around the world.
A series of new initiatives and fresh programming strands featured across the programme:
• My Life in Books events see celebrities open their personal libraries
• Heard at Hay Festival panels spark thought-provoking debates
• America 250 conversations reflect on the changing face of a nation
• The Pleasure List campaign celebrates the joys of reading
• New genre days spotlight bestselling fiction
• Barrel of Laughs sessions spotlight funny people with new books
• Book to Screen events showcase adaptations in the MUBI Cinema
• Debut Discoveries series spotlights new writing talent
• The Platform elevates new creatives
• Matters of Taste demos take food from page to stage
• Creative Industry Insights sessions engage budding young creatives
• South to North Conversations explore international perspectives
Alongside the best new fiction and non-fiction, our changing world was drawn into focus with commentary from leading politicians, economists, historians and scientists, while journalists and commentators reflected on the UK’s recent local elections.
Nights at the Festival were given over to great music, comedy and entertainment with a renewed focus on innovative, immersive event experiences, while a host of free pop-up activities and performances delighted audiences between sessions.
Free to enter, the Festival’s Dairy Meadows site in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park offered up a range of spaces for audiences to explore and enjoy between events, including the Bookshop, BBC Marquee, Wild Garden, Make & Take Tent, a host of exhibitors and market stalls, cafés, and the Family Garden.