Emine Sinmaz

Emine's reporting has meticulously delved into the human element behind news stories which have maintained a hold on the popular attention. She has travelled around the world in pursuit of exclusive tales that uncover the depth of feeling and compassion that lie beneath daily news stories.

Late last year, tragedy struck on the Bibby Stockholm barge. A 27-year-old man killed himself in the south west of England while he waited alongside hundreds of others for his asylum claim to be heard. Emine travelled to Albania to tell Leonard Farraku's story in full, introducing readers – for the first time– to a promising accordion player from a poor part of Tirana.

He had lost both his parents and travelled by boat to the UK in the hope of a new life - one that was prematurely and unjustly cut short. Using her unparalleled nous at finding people, as well as her sensitivity and empathy, she spoke to relatives, friends, neighbours, colleagues and teachers in an attempt to understand the man and the experiences that led to his death.

Emine also went to the West Bank to interview the family of the 100th Palestinian child to be killed in the West Bank since October 7. The schoolboy’s family told how he was wearing his football kit and carrying his school bag when he was shot in the head and killed after Israeli forces opened fire in the town of Beit Ummar. She spoke to human rights groups and obtained a medical report which detailed the fatal injury.

As the general election unfolded, and Nigel Farage once again became a figurehead of the UK's political right, Emine went to Montenegro to delve into the extravagant lifestyle and past controversies of his mysterious unpaid aide. The lavish lifestyle of convicted fraudster George Cottrell, dubbed Farage's surrogate son, was laid out in detail as she secured exclusive interviews with his former girlfriend and others, who spoke about his controversies and links to political figures in Montenegro.