Qatar-based network receives 40 prizes in total, including NYF’s Broadcaster of the Year for a second year in a row.

Al Jazeera English has been named Broadcaster of the Year for a second consecutive year at the New York Festivals Best Television and Film Awards.

The Doha-based network received the prestigious award on Tuesday at a gala in the southern US city of Las Vegas.

In total, the network received 40 prizes, including 15 gold and 15 silver medals.

Among the honours, Al Jazeera English’s 101 East won five gold medals and three silver medals.

Steve Chao, who presents the documentary series, also won a gold medal in the Best News Reporter category.

The Cut: Exploring FGM, a documentary exploring the dangerous and painful practice of female genital mutilation across the world, won two gold medals.

The Boy Who Started the Syrian War – a documentary about Mouawiya Syasneh, whose graffiti against President Bashar al-Assad lit the spark that engulfed Syria – won two gold medals, and Spy Merchant by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, which delved into the surveillance industry’s secretive world won one gold medal.

In addition, the Al Jazeera demands press freedom campaign and Donald Trump’s 100 days in office both won gold medals.

Giles Trendle, Managing Director of Al Jazeera English said the prize was “a wonderful honour from our industry peers for the quality of our journalism and the talent of our teams”.

“In the current global media and political climate, it is all the more important for independent media and journalists around the globe to make themselves heard through quality journalism and imaginative storytelling,” he added.

In 2017, Al Jazeera English won a total of 27 medals at the New York Festivals, and 19 the year before.

The New York Festival’s World’s Best TV & Films competition honours programming in all lengths and forms from more than 50 countries.