Congratulations to Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi from the Centre for Human Rights in Practice, for being long-listed for her work by the prestigious George Orwell Prize for Journalism.

The long list for the George Orwell Prize for Journalism 2015 has been announced this week. Alongside journalists from household names like the Guardian, Financial Times and Economist, you will find Lacuna magazine writer-in-residence Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi. Lacuna is an on-line magazine produced by the Centre for Human Rights in Practice at Warwick.

If Rebecca wins, this will be the second Orwell Prize for the University of Warwick’s Centre for Human Rights in Practice in three years. Editor-in-Chief of Lacuna and Centre co-director, Andrew Williams, won the Orwell Prize for Political Writing for his book ‘A Very British Killing: The Death of Baha Mousa’ in 2013. When asked what features of the Centre, and its new magazine Lacuna, could have led to this double accolade, Rebecca said:

The Centre for Human Rights in Practice at the University of Warwick has a deep commitment to rigorous, in-depth investigation of important social issues. It is a special environment which combines all the best features of investigative journalism and academia.”

Rebecca’s long-listed articles are clear examples of this ethos. One, "Down the Rabbit Hole", is a lucid account of single parenthood in austerity Britain. Rebecca says:

I was in conversation by phone and email with single parent Angela for nearly a year before she agreed to the first of several interviews. All that time spent listening and researching enabled me to tell a story which is more than just the misery of poverty. It enabled me to convey the ways in which Angela, and other resourceful women like her, work around the obstacles that the state throws in their path. The truth lies in the detail.”

This is a fantastic acheivement for Rebecca and we wish her the best of luck.

Want to learn more about Lacuna magazine?

Lacuna magazine includes a unique combination of investigative journalism, academic analysis, film, poetry, illustration, and reviews. It also showcases the voices of professionals, activists, artists and talented student writers whose voices are not heard in the mainstream press.

• Find out more about Lacuna Magazine online.
• Watch a video of an event hosted by Lacuna at the Frontline Club in London.