NUSOJ has received several prestigious international awards, including:
- Fondation de France International Press Freedom Defender prize from Reporters Without Borders (RWB) in 2005.
- Annual Percy Qoboza Foreign Journalist Award from the U.S. National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in August 2007.
- Democracy Courage Award on behalf of Somali journalists from the World Movement for Democracy (WMD) in April 2008.
- French Republic’s Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Human Rights Prize by the Commission Nationale Consultative des Droits de l’homme (CNCDH) in France on December 10, 2009.