Victoria Amelina receives 2025 Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing posthumously

The Christopher G. Moore Foundation announced that it selected the late Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina as the winner of the ninth annual Moore Prize for Human Rights Writing.

The award, which recognizes nonfiction works on human rights topics, was given to Amelina for her book “Looking at Women Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary” (William Collins/St. Martin’s Press). This is the first time a book by a Ukrainian author has received this award.

“Amelina revealed the full experience of war from the inside, while maintaining a positive focus on solutions as part of the story,” the Jury commented. “It is an evocative expression of heart, soul and sacrifice, of people taking power into their own hands, made all the more poignant by the fact that Amelina herself was killed while researching the book.”

“Amelina’s account of Russian war crimes in Ukraine is a poignant reminder of the sacrifice of a journalist driven by passion to report the truth about the lives shattered by the Russian invasion. The book stands as a testament to Amelina’s courage in bringing into focus the devastating consequences of war for ordinary Ukrainians. Amid so much propaganda and misinformation, her legacy endures as a vital record of what has happened and continues to happen. I am pleased with the jury’s decision, which was difficult given the exceptional quality of the shortlisted books,” said Christopher G. Moore, Foundation Founder.

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Investigative journalist and author Clare Hammond, Director of Human Rights Watch Asia Elaine Pearson and Dr Dainius Pūras, professor of psychiatry and public mental health at Vilnius University, members of the 2025 jury, said they were “deeply moved by this unsparing account of the war crimes and the devastating changes war has brought to each person and family throughout Ukraine.”

Amelina wrote the novels “November Syndrome, or Homo Compatiens,” “Dom’s Dream Kingdom,” and numerous children’s books. She was also a volunteer, activist, and public figure. In the months following Russia’s full-scale invasion, Victoria joined the Ukrainian human rights organization Truth Hounds and went to liberated territories in Ukraine to record the testimonies of war crimes committed by Russian occupying forces. Amelina tragically passed away on July 1 due to serious injuries sustained during the Russian missile strike on Kramatorsk. As reported, 12 other people were killed and 64 were wounded in the shelling.

The jury granted a special Honorable Mention to “The Many Lives of Syeda X” by Indian journalist Nega Dixit (Footnote Press, UKIndia). The book examines the life of a working-class Muslim woman in contemporary India, tracing her more than 50 jobs over three decades to shed light on the widespread human rights abuses experienced by millions globally.

In 2024, Amelina was posthumously awarded the Prix Voltaire special prize, and in 2025, her book “Looking at Women Looking at War” won the George Orwell Prize. A scholarship program for writers was also created in memory of Amelina.

The Christopher G. Moore Foundation was established in 2015 to support and promote the values of human rights and literary excellence in non-fiction. The Moore Prize is awarded to a work of non-fiction published in English that promotes the values consistent with the advancement of human rights and dignity. Entry is free and open to authors worldwide. Works may be submitted directly by the author(s) or through a publisher.  The winner of the prize will receive £1,000. 

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