Deadline: 30-Jun-23
The African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) is pleased to announce the call for entries for the Uganda National Journalism Awards 2023.
The annual Uganda National Journalism Awards inspire and recognise journalism that informs and empowers the public, increases the voices and spaces for citizen debate, and holds the powerful to account. The awards are a prestigious platform to inspire and motivate journalists to continuously strive for excellence, push the boundaries of their craft and raise the standard of journalism in Uganda.
Categories
The 18 competition categories of the Uganda National Journalism Awards 2023 come under two segments as follows:
- Institutional-Based Awards
- The institutional awards will be given to media houses, not individual journalists or media practitioners. Judging will be based on criteria including, but not limited to:
- Creativity of an idea
- Processes and execution
- Results and impact
- Sustainability and replication
- Newsroom and editorial transformation award
- This award recognises the best initiatives in newsrooms or editorial operations with measurable impact of transformational processes across content and business units.
- Online and digital innovation award
- This category recognises news organisations that maximise the use of digital and social media tools and platforms to serve their audiences and fulfil their editorial missions.
- The institutional awards will be given to media houses, not individual journalists or media practitioners. Judging will be based on criteria including, but not limited to:
- Subject-Based Awards
- The subject-based awards will be given to individuals or teams of journalists or media practitioners for a single story or a series of related stories. In general, entries will be assessed for:
- Masterful command of the subject matter
- Masterful application of the craft of journalism
- Ethical treatment and adherence to journalistic standards of practice
- In particular, judging of entries will be based on criteria including, but not limited to:
- Topicality and significance
- Interpretation and analysis
- Enterprise and explanation
- Accuracy and completeness
- Clarity and technique
- Evidence and data
- Contextualisation within Uganda’s development goals as appropriate
- Agriculture reporting
- This award recognises the crucial role played by journalists in illuminating the complexities, challenges and innovations in the agriculture sector.
- Arts and culture reporting
- This award recognises the exceptional work of journalists who bring the vibrant world of arts to life through their insightful and engaging reporting.
- Business, economy and financial reporting
- This award will be given to a story or series of stories on business, economics and finance that demonstrate(s) excellence, creativity and journalistic merit.
- Community reporting
- This prize recognises the work of reporters based outside of Greater Kampala who provide a clear understanding of events and issues of importance to their communities.
- Defence and security reporting
- This award recognises outstanding journalism on national defence and security.
- Education reporting
- This award recognises the invaluable contribution of journalists who shine a light on critical issues and innovations in the realm of education.
- Energy, petroleum and minerals reporting
- This award honours journalists who demonstrate excellence in uncovering and explaining the complexities, challenges and impacts associated with energy production, distribution, and the extraction of petroleum and minerals.
- Environmental reporting
- This award recognises journalists that, through their reporting, raise awareness about environmental issues and promote sustainable practice.
- Health reporting
- This award will be given for distinguished reporting and writing on a wide range of issues including, but not limited to, public health, medical research, the business of health care, disease and health ethics, health infrastructure and systems, health-related social and behaviour change, and human capital.
- Justice, law and order reporting
- This award honours the exceptional work of journalists who report on the intricate aspects of justice, law, and order with professionalism, accuracy, and a commitment to truth.
- Opinion and editorial commentary
- This award will be given for compelling opinions and commentaries by journalists and non-journalists that illuminate public affairs (national, regional and global), issues in the news and socially significant issues.
- Political reporting
- This award recognises the work of journalists who excel in reporting on political matters with integrity, objectivity and a commitment to informing the public.
- Public accountability reporting
- This award will be given to journalists that tirelessly pursue transparency, expose corruption and hold public officials and institutions accountable.
- Public works and infrastructure reporting
- This award recognises the exceptional work of journalists on the development challenges and impact of public works and infrastructure projects in Uganda.
- Science and technology reporting
- This award will be given to journalists who excel in reporting on scientific advancements and technological innovations, and their impact on society.
- Urbanisation, land and housing reporting
- This award celebrates distinguished reporting on the complexities and challenges of urbanisation, land use, housing and property.
- The subject-based awards will be given to individuals or teams of journalists or media practitioners for a single story or a series of related stories. In general, entries will be assessed for:
Prizes and Recognition
- The winners and runners-up in each awards category will receive monetary awards, trophies and certificates of achievement that symbolise their accomplishments. Winners will be celebrated at a grand gala to be held in Kampala in August 2023.
Eligibility Criteria
- The competition is open to all journalists, freelance or full-time, and independent content producers working in Uganda.
- Work submitted must be published or broadcast in a Ugandan media outlet or a regional news outlet with wide distribution in Uganda.
- There are 18 categories in this competition: 2 institutional-based awards and 16 subject-based awards.
- All work (for subject-based entries) and strategies (for institutional-based entries) submitted must have been broadcast, published or implemented between 1 January and 31 December 2022.
For more information, visit African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME).
