African Fact-checking Awards 2019 for Journalists (Up to $2,000 prize)

Deadline: June 30, 2019

Applications are open for the African Fact-checking Awards 2019. Launched in 2014 and now in their sixth year, the African Fact-Checking Awards are the only awards that each year honour journalism by Africa-based media in the growing field of fact-checking.

Entries should have exposed as misleading or wrong a claim on an important topic made by a public figure or institution in Africa. They must have been published or broadcast between September 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019.

This year’s categories include:

• Fact-check of the year by a working journalist
• Fact-check of the year by a student
• One runner-up in each of the two categories above.

Award

• The winner of the awards for best fact-checking report by a working journalist will get a prize of $2,000, while the runner-up will be awarded $1,000;
• The winner of the award for best fact-checking report by a student journalist will get a prize of $1,000, and the runner-up $500.

Eligibility

• Best fact-checking report by a working journalist
  • To be eligible, the entry must be an original piece of fact-checking journalism first published or broadcast between 1 September 2018 and 30 June 2019, by a media house based in Africa
  • The work may be published in print or online, broadcast on the radio or television or published in a blog
  • Reports published by Africa Check are not eligible for the competition.
• Best fact-checking report by a student journalist
  • To be eligible, the candidate must have attended a journalism school in Africa at some period between 1 September 2018 and 30 June 2019
  • The entry must be an original piece of fact-checking journalism, produced as course work or first published or broadcast between 1 September 2018 and 30 June 2019, in a blog, student publication or by a media house based in Africa
  • The work may be published in print or online, broadcast on the radio or television or published in a blog
  • Reports published by Africa Check are not eligible for the competition.
• Candidates can only enter for the awards in one category per year, but can submit more than one report if they choose.

Judging Criteria

The entries will be judged on the following four criteria:

• The significance for wider society of the claim investigated
• How the claim was tested against the available evidence
• How well the piece presented the evidence for and against the claim
• The impact that the publication had on public debate on the topic.

Application

Click here to apply

For more information, visit African Fact-checking Awards.