Deadline: August 4, 2016
The Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards seek to recognise and reward distinction among South African journalists for their relentless curiosity, accuracy in sharing information with the aim of getting society to think, initiate action and create awareness of topical issues and matters of interest. The Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards has grown in stature and has become the much sought after career acknowledgement for journalists today with attractive prizes as well.
Categories
The 12 categories are as follows:
- Media Categories: Television news, Television feature, Radio news, Radio feature, Print news, Print feature, Online, Photography;
- Specialist Categories: Financial/Economic, CSI/Sustainability, Sport, Young Journalist.
The overall Journalist of the Year Award will be given to one of the 11 national category winners (i.e. excluding Young Journalist).
Awards
- Regional winners in all categories will win R5 000 then move on to compete in the National Awards in November.
- National winners in each category receive R10 000 and the overall national winner of the Vodacom Journalist of the Year will win a handsome prize of R100 000.
Eligibility
- All material must have been published or broadcast between May 1, 2015 and May 30, 2016;
- Proof of publication or broadcast date must be supplied;
- The content of entries must predominantly cover South African issues. Entries must be produced as well as published/broadcast in South Africa;
- It is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure entries are legible, audible and/or viewable;
- A maximum of three entries per category will be accepted from one individual. Applications containing more than three submissions will be disqualified. For the Feature, Specialist, Online and Photography categories, a body of work may be submitted as one entry but must cover only one subject;
- An entry must be submitted for only one category, e.g. a specific piece may be submitted for either feature or general news, or online or CSI/Sustainability, but not both;
- Those entering the Young Journalist category must enter as individuals and must have worked in any newsroom for three years or less. They must submit a portfolio of work (maximum three pieces from within the competition period) together with a strong motivation and a CV. They may not enter any other VJOY categories in the same year. Regional winners will receive a certificate and become finalists for the national Young Journalist Award;
- The judges reserve the right to move any submission to another category should it be deemed appropriate;
- All journalists and editors wishing to submit entries must register on the Vodacom Journalist of the Year website before submitting their entry. Editors may enter work on behalf of their journalists but must clearly record the name and contact details of the journalist and/or contributing journalists;
- An entry with multiple contributors may be submitted (except for Young Journalist) only if the name of each contributing journalist and/or producer appears on the by-line of the piece entered. The name and contact details of each contributor must then accompany the submission in the credits section of the registration process. Multiple contributors to a winning entry will share any prize equally, whether at regional or national level;
- Submissions must be entered in the Vodacom region where published or broadcast. A piece which is published or broadcast nationally must be entered in the region closest to the journalist’s offices;
- An entry may not be submitted in more than one region (View regional map), i.e. a piece cannot be submitted for Gauteng and the Western Cape;
- Entrants must submit background information and a motivation to the judges as to why they believe the submitted material deserves to win – this is essential for all entries. Include, for example, a description of circumstances and challenges a ffecting the story’s development such as volume of research and/or investigation, time, safety and/or financial constraints, as well as an account of any impact the story might have had;
- Every entry in each category is eligible for the Regional Awards, provided it complies with all requirements in this list of criteria;
- All Regional Award winners (including the Young Journalist category) will automatically become finalists for the National Award in that category. Winners of National Awards (except Young Journalist category) will automatically become finalists for the overall Journalist of the Year Award;
- There is no fee to enter the awards. Any entry not fulfilling the criteria stated herein may be disqualified.
Application Process
Entries close at 6pm on 4 August 2016.
For more information, visit Vodacom Journalist of the Year Award 2016.
