Sanlam Uganda, a provider of cutting-edge insurance and financial services in Uganda today announced entries for the 2021 Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism, one of the leading prizes in Africa recognising exceptional business journalism since 1974.
Announcing the awards, today, Mr. Gary Corbit, the CEO Sanlam General Uganda, encouraged financial journalists in the country, to take advantage of the opportunity to get the well-deserved recognition and award for their work.
“We acknowledge that journalists play a fundamental role in shaping conversations and reporting vital information to the public. It is therefore in this regard that we sought it wise to recognize and award tremendous work and the effort of the media,” Mr. Corbit noted.
The awards are open for works in print, radio, television, and online media. African journalists based in Africa, working in an African news organisation, and publishing or broadcasting their works on the continent are eligible for the competition. The winners will be rewarded with cash prizes as mentioned; category winners – 1600 USD, first runners up – 900 USD, second runners up – 600 USD and the overall Journalist of the year will be rewarded with 2300 USD.
Entries must have been published between 1st January and 31st December, 2021.
All entrants are encouraged to make their submissions through the Sanlam website here: https://www.sanlam.co.za/sponsorships/media/financialjournalism/enter/Pages/entry-form.aspx.
The link also has detailed information on the eligibility guidelines, criteria on submitted works, and entry rules for the awards. Submissions must consist of only three pieces of journalistic work in English, French, or Portuguese with the he deadline for entries being 28 February 2022.
The competition comprises of seven category prizes and three special awards, presented as follows:
Category Awards:
- Business and Companies
- Economy
- Financial Markets
- Consumer Financial Education
- The Africa Growth Story
- Broadcast: Radio/Audio/Podcasting (in business reporting)
- Broadcast: Television/Video (in business reporting)
The Business/Companies, Economy, Financial Markets and Consumer Financial Education categories are open to South African journalists only. Entries must be from print and online media.
The Africa Growth Story, Broadcast: Audio, and Broadcast: Video categories are open to South African journalists as well as African journalists in the rest of Africa working in an African news organisation and practising journalism on the continent.
The Africa Growth Story category was introduced in 2013 to recognise exceptional business journalism focusing on the growth of the continent in terms of investment, infrastructure development, economic progress, and related topics. Stories should reflect a Pan African outlook and regional integration theme.
Special Awards:
- Best Newcomer
- Lifetime Achievement
- Sanlam Financial Journalist of the Year
Winners of the special awards are selected through a rigorous nomination and evaluation process by the independent judging panel.
For over four decades, the awards have been acknowledging the best financial journalism in Africa and have attracted widespread interest from the continent. In 2020, the judging panel received 100 entries from journalists representing more than 40 media organisations. The Africa Growth Story, a popular category in the competition, received 23 entries spanning countries across the geopolitical and economic blocks of the continent.
The judging panel consists of Nixon Kariithi (chair of the panel), Paula Fray (expert media trainer), Charles Naude (retired business editor), Ulrich Joubert (retired independent economist), Ylva Rodny Gumede (head of the division for Internationalisation and professor in the school of communication at the University of Johannesburg) Angela Agoawike (communications consultant based in Nigeria), Tom Indimuli (media consultant based in Kenya), and Emily May Brown (media lecturer at Polytechnic of Namibia).
