Laurel Chor is an Emmy-nominated freelance journalist, photographer, filmmaker, and National Geographic Explorer from Hong Kong.
She has reported from more than 20 countries, having worked with the New York Times, National Geographic, Getty, AFP, Reuters, EPA, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, NBC News, the Telegraph, the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Free Press, the New Humanitarian, the Spectator, the Nikkei Asian Review, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Quartz, and more. She regularly makes guest appearances on TV and radio.
As a current masters student studying Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at Christ Church, Oxford University, Laurel is particularly interested in exploring the relationship between people and nature. She is working on a long-term photography project on traditional Chinese medicine, culture, and the environment.
She has worked on western lowland gorilla conservation in the Central African Republic, Chinese white dolphin research in Hong Kong and undercover investigative documentaries on the wildlife trade in Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.
Through her HK Explorers Initiative project, which encourages people to explore and appreciate Hong Kong's biodiversity, she has spoken to thousands about the importance of connecting urban populations to nature. In 2013, Dr. Jane Goodall appointed her as an ambassador for the Jane Goodall Institute HK.
Previously, Laurel was the Asia reporter and producer for VICE News Tonight on HBO, covering news, culture and politics across the region: from the Rohingya refugee crisis to the Chinese social credit system, from the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother to Chinese "boy" bands, and from the earthquake in Palu, Indonesia to the war on drugs in Bangladesh.
In 2017, she played in the Rugby World Cup as a member of the first Hong Kong team to ever qualify.
Laurel graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a BS in International Health and a certificate in international development.
Follow Laurel on Instagram and Twitter.
Awards & Recognition
2020
2019
2016
2015
Exhibitions
2020
Books
2020
2019
She has reported from more than 20 countries, having worked with the New York Times, National Geographic, Getty, AFP, Reuters, EPA, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, NBC News, the Telegraph, the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Free Press, the New Humanitarian, the Spectator, the Nikkei Asian Review, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Quartz, and more. She regularly makes guest appearances on TV and radio.
As a current masters student studying Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at Christ Church, Oxford University, Laurel is particularly interested in exploring the relationship between people and nature. She is working on a long-term photography project on traditional Chinese medicine, culture, and the environment.
She has worked on western lowland gorilla conservation in the Central African Republic, Chinese white dolphin research in Hong Kong and undercover investigative documentaries on the wildlife trade in Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.
Through her HK Explorers Initiative project, which encourages people to explore and appreciate Hong Kong's biodiversity, she has spoken to thousands about the importance of connecting urban populations to nature. In 2013, Dr. Jane Goodall appointed her as an ambassador for the Jane Goodall Institute HK.
Previously, Laurel was the Asia reporter and producer for VICE News Tonight on HBO, covering news, culture and politics across the region: from the Rohingya refugee crisis to the Chinese social credit system, from the assassination of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother to Chinese "boy" bands, and from the earthquake in Palu, Indonesia to the war on drugs in Bangladesh.
In 2017, she played in the Rugby World Cup as a member of the first Hong Kong team to ever qualify.
Laurel graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a BS in International Health and a certificate in international development.
Follow Laurel on Instagram and Twitter.
Awards & Recognition
2020
- International Women’s Media Foundation's Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award - Honorable Mention
- Society of Publishers in Asia Prize for Excellence in Arts and Culture Reporting
- Nominated for Emmy (News & Documentary) Award for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Newscast
- Nominee for World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass
- Eddie Adams Workshop
- Prix de la Photographie Paris PX3 State of the World Curator Selection
2019
- Overseas Press Club of America's David A. Andelman and Pamela Title Award for “best international reporting in broadcast media showing a concern for the human condition"
- Finalist for Society of Publishers in Asia Prize for Excellence in Video Reporting
2016
- Society of Publishers in Asia Prize for Excellence in Feature Photography
2015
- Finalist for Society of Publishers in Asia Prize for Excellence in Feature Photography
Exhibitions
2020
- Group exhibition: "Battleground for Freedom and Democracy" at Blank Space in Oslo, Norway (Feb. 28 - March 15)
Books
2020
- DEFIANCE: A Photographic Documentary of HK's Awakening
- Revue femmesPHOTOgraphes n°8
2019
- Women Photograph: 2019 Year in Pictures