Ross Munro Award
Nominations now open
The Ross Munro Award honours Canadians whose work shows the importance and influence of national defence and security storytelling across journalism, videography, photojournalism, and authorship.
Recipients are recognized for professional excellence and objective coverage that offers meaningful insight, analysis, or context on defence and security issues. Their work may focus on the Canadian Armed Forces, government departments, or national security agencies, and should contribute to broader public understanding and national conversation.
Award-winning contributions highlight why sharing these stories matters, demonstrating their impact on all Canadians while helping to strengthen and protect democratic values.
Eligibility Requirements
- Candidate must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
- It is highly desirable that selected laureate be able to attend in person March 3rd, 2026 for the award presentation the evening before the launch of the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada at the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel.
- The nominator must provide correct contact information for their nominee in order for this person to be considered for the award.
Award Criteria
- Excellence and objectivity in coverage of national defence issues, providing insight, analysis, or examination of the context.
- Body of work that goes beyond the obvious, ordinary, and the expected. The work shows courage in its quest for truth and broadens the understanding of national defence relationships within Canada and abroad.
- Comprehensiveness and quality of information that shows both context and perspective.
- Work helps defence issues make sense to a wider audience, maximizing awareness and inspiring debate and dialogue.
- Career that exemplifies longstanding ethics and the highest journalistic or storytelling standards.
Nomination Procedure
Nominators are asked to inform their nominees of their intent to nominate them and confirm their willingness to accept the award should they be selected. The nominator should also validate with their nominee that there would be no real or perceived conflict of interest in accepting the award.
All submissions are considered in confidence by the Selection Committee, and nominations will not be publicly disclosed, with the exception of the nominator of the laureate, who will be invited to attend the Ottawa Conference free of charge.
Nominations are to contain the following documentation;
- Completed online Submission Form
- Nominee’s curriculum vitae / biographical summary
- Nomination support letters (optional – Maximum 3)
- Body of work examples (Maximum 3)
Nomination Deadline: January 31, 2026
Ross Munro, OBE, OC
(September 6, 1913 – June 21, 1990)
Ross Munro was the Canadian Press’s lead war correspondent in Europe during World War II. He covered a Canadian raid in Spitsbergen, the 1942 raid on Dieppe, the Allied landings in Sicily, the Italian campaign, D-Day and the campaign in Northwestern Europe. His memoirs of the campaigns, published as From Gauntlet to Overlord, won the Governor General’s Award for English-language non-fiction in 1945. He later covered the Korean War, and after retiring as a war correspondent became publisher of the Vancouver Daily Province, the Winnipeg Tribune, and the Edmonton Journal. Munro was appointed OBE in 1946 and OC in 1975.
Ross Munro Media Award Laureates
2002: Stephen Thorne, Legion Magazine | 2003: Garth Pritchard, documentary filmmaker, director, and cinematographer | 2004: Sharon Hobson, Jane’s Defence Weekly | 2005: Bruce Campion-Smith, Toronto Star | 2006: Christie Blatchford, Globe and Mail | 2007: Matthew Fisher, National Post | 2008: Alec Castonguay, Radio Canada | 2009: Brian Stewart, CBC | 2010: Murray Brewster, CBC | 2011: Rosie DiMano, Toronto Star | 2012: Adam Day, Legion Magazine | 2013: (Hiatus) | 2014: Louie Palu, National Geographic | 2015: Chris MacLean, FrontLine Defence | 2016: Richard Madan, CTV News | 2021: Mercedes Stephenson, Ottawa Bureau Chief/Host, Global News | 2022: Sharon Adams, Writer, Legion Magazine | 2023: Steven Chase Senior, Parliamentary Reporter, The Globe and Mail and Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief, The Globe and Mail | 2024: Kevin Newman
If you have any questions regarding the submission of your nomination, please contact Jennifer Giguere, Director of Operations and Strategic Relations, at jennifer@cdainstitute.ca.
