CFJ and CP Name Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award Winner

TORONTO, March 31, 2025 – Sammy Kogan, a Toronto-based photojournalist and multimedia creator, is the recipient of the 2025 Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award presented by The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) and The Canadian Press (CP).

“Sammy is just a treat with a portfolio that is all-around impressive,” says jury member and CP photographer Frank Gunn. “I look at some of the pictures in his portfolio and say, ‘Wow, I wish I’d shot that.’ He has a lot of technical skill, but still lots of room for him to learn at CP.”

The coveted annual award was established in memory of the late, prize-winning CP photographer Tom Hanson to allow an early-career photojournalist to work at CP’s Toronto head office for a six-week internship. The experience will enable Kogan to sharpen his skills and receive mentorship from experienced journalists while providing the opportunity for national exposure.

“I’m always inspired by the work CP staff puts out,” says Kogan. “Creating imagery at the scale and speed of a wire service demands a set of skills I look forward to dedicating myself to learning from the photojournalists and editors I’ll have the chance to work with.”

View Kogan’s portfolio, which was selected among submissions from students and early-career photojournalists across the country.

Kogan will receive recognition at the CJF Awards ceremony on June 12 at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

Selection Committee

• Catherine Hanson, spouse of late Tom Hanson;
• Heide Kaspar-Glorieux, mother of Tom Hanson;
• Megan Leach, director, visuals, CP;
• Joe O’Connal, assistant editor, CP;
• Graeme Roy, visual content curator, CP (retired);
• Frank Gunn, national photographer, CP;
• Fred Chartrand, former national photographer, CP;
• Tony Caldwell, photographer, Ottawa Sun;
• Hannah Yoon, photojournalist and 2014 Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award winner;
• Marta Iwanek, photojournalist and 2015 Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award winner; and
• Scott White, Senior Director, Media Relations and External Communications, HOOPP | Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan and an honorary CJF governor.

This award is generously supported by Sony.

CIBC is the presenting sponsor of the 2025 CJF Awards.

About the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award

The Canadian Journalism Foundation and The Canadian Press teamed up in 2009 to launch a photojournalism award in memory of Tom Hanson, an award-winning photographer who travelled around the world and across the country, shooting some of the most iconic news and sports images of his time. The Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award offers a six-week paid internship at The Canadian Press head office in Toronto for a photojournalist in the early stages of their career.

About the Award

Tom Hanson was a photojournalist whose images from the Oka conflict to the cut-and-thrust of the House of Commons told vivid stories. He was an award-winning photographer for The Canadian Press who travelled around the world and across the country, shooting some of the most iconic news and sports images of the last 15 years.

When Hanson died suddenly at age 41 in 2009, his family, friends, colleagues at The Canadian Press and the country’s photojournalism community wanted to find an appropriate way to honour his memory, talent and spirit. The result was the creation of the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award.

The Hanson Award is administered by The Canadian Journalism Foundation and offers a six-week paid internship at The Canadian Press head office in Toronto for a photojournalist in the early stages of his or her career. The annual internship is designed to give a photographer trying to break into the business the chance to perform on the national stage.

The Hanson Award is open to any Canadian photojournalist who has been in the business less than five years — from students to freelancers to photographers working at regional publications.

Applicants will be asked to submit a portfolio of their work to a selection committee made up of Canadian Journalism Foundation board members, photographers and photo editors from The Canadian Press and daily newspapers and members of Tom’s family.

The six-week internship will take place sometime between April and September, the exact time of the placement to be worked out between the successful applicant and The Canadian Press. The winning applicant will be paid a salary equivalent of the start rate for photographers at The Canadian Press. Award winners will be expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.|

View the criteria.

The Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award is generously supported by: