The Observer and Guardian journalist, Carole Cadwalladr, has won the Foreign Press Association media award for print and web story of the year for her reporting on the links between Cambridge Analytica, the UK’s pro-Brexit campaigners and Donald Trump presidential election team.

Also among the nominees was Cadwalladr’s Guardian colleague, Amelia Gentleman, for an article on the Windrush scandal, as well as Stephen Bleach of the Sunday Times, who revealed the abuse he suffered at the hands of the Catholic church, and Reuters’ Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were jailed for their reporting on the massacre of Rohingyas in Myanmar.

Cadwalladr’s award-winning article showed the world the face of the whistleblower who created a tool used by the former Trump adviser, Steve Bannon, to harness data to target political advertising at voters.

Christopher Wylie, after choosing to waive his anonymity, said he helped to put together “Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare mindfuck tool” while working for the political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica.

“It’s insane. The company has created psychological profiles of 230 million Americans. And now they want to work with the Pentagon? It’s like Nixon on steroids,” Cadwalladr quoted Wylie as saying.

Congratulations to the Observer’s @carolecadwalla who has just won the Foreign Press Association award for Print & Web story of the year. 👏 https://t.co/aTQa1txe2Q — The Observer (@ObserverUK) November 26, 2018

The piece was part of a lengthy series of articles Cadwalladr has produced on the subject, which have brought her a series of awards, including the Orwell journalism prize.

The Foreign Press Association awards ceremony took place in London on Monday evening.

Also successful were David Goldblatt and Daniel Nolan in the sports story of the year category for their Guardian long read: Viktor Orban’s reckless football obsession. Hannah Rae Armstrong was nominated for the same award for her own Guardian long read: The brutal world of sheep fighting.

Sophie Elmhirst was also shortlisted for the arts culture story of the year for her Guardian long read: From Game of Thrones to The Crown: the woman who turns actors into stars.