Daily Mirror: Island of Strangers
Ros Wynne-Jones, John Domokos, Claire Donnelly
The Island of Strangers film series and accompanying print articles were created for the Daily Mirror by the Mirror’s Real Britain columnist Ros Wynne-Jones, ex-Guardian film-maker John Domokos, and writer Claire Donnelly. All three multi-award-winning journalists have dedicated their careers to telling stories from the heart of marginalised and overlooked communities in the UK and abroad, from as far away from power as possible, and with the consent and collaboration of the people who shape their work.
Their shortlisted pieces were:
- ISLAND OF STRANGERS: ‘Rotherham feels on the brink of going up – but there’s more that unites us’
- ISLAND OF STRANGERS: ‘ There’s more love than hate on Merseyside – we’re not an Island of Strangers’
- ISLAND OF STRANGERS: ‘How over-60s club in struggling St Mellons is fighting racism with belly dancing’
- ISLAND OF STRANGERS: ‘We were screamed at every night by anti-refugee thugs – but we never gave up our dream’.
I loved this series because it didn’t flinch from the scale of the problem, but also showed the amazing community support that could lift local people despite the real challenges around.
– Amber Rudd, Judge, The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils 2026
