On The Record Memorial has launched a national design competition to create the UK’s first permanent memorial dedicated to British and UK-based journalists who have lost their lives while reporting from conflict zones.
Through the creation of a world-class work of art, the initiative, titled On The Record, seeks to honour the courage and sacrifice of journalists and media workers who died in pursuit of the truth.
The memorial sculpture will be located at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, the country’s year-round place of remembrance. A complementary sculpture will also be installed at St Bride’s, Fleet Street – the journalist’s chapel – with a dual presence creating both a national recognition and an enduring legacy.
The On The Record Campaign is led by TALA’s founder Andrew Baud, former editor of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme and the Evening Standard, Sarah Sands, and three-time Emmy Award winning journalist turned media freedom advocate, Jon Williams. It is supported by a steering group of former news correspondents and senior media representatives.
The campaign was conceived at the time of the death of renowned war correspondent Marie Colvin in Syria in 2012. Since then, at least 17 UK journalists have been killed while reporting from conflict zones. Globally, the toll is far higher – with 128 journalists and media workers killed in 2023 alone, according to the International Federation of Journalists.
The national design competition is being run in partnership with the Royal Society of Sculptors with submissions open until 9 January 2026. Shortlisted artists will be invited to present maquettes and costings in March, with installation planned for spring 2027.
The trustees have confirmed initial funding pledges of £300,000 out of a total campaign target of £1 million. Artists shortlisted for the second phase of the competition will receive a small honorarium to support their work.
