“Sanef is excited to host the awards in June and we are confident more journalists will enter their excellent work as they have done in previous years,” says Sanef chairman, Sbu Ngalwa.
Ngalwa says the Awards are a natural fit for Sanef. “The Awards are a key highlight when it comes to awarding excellent journalistic work, which is something wholly supported by Sanef.”
Long-time sponsor of the Awards, Standard Bank, will be taking up the sponsorship again this year.
Celebrate and nurture free speech
Regarding its sponsorship of the Award, Standard Bank CEO, Lungisa Fuzile, says: “In a world that is more connected than ever before, access to reliable, sourced, accurate and verified information has become even more important today.
“We have seen the destructive impact of fake news locally and globally and the division and confusion that it sows.”
Free speech and access to information is the cornerstone of any democracy, a precious and vulnerable gift borne from struggle and conflict for a just society he adds.
“The role of our media professionals is now more important than ever. But they too are facing their own challenges as the global nature of information and the Internet upends their traditional business models,” says Fuzile.
“Its support of our diligent and professional media through initiatives like the Standard Bank Sikuvile Awards, where we celebrate and nurture those who guard free speech, share and interpret conflicting ideas and provide us with the clearest picture of where it is we want to be as a society,” he continues.
“We are thankful to Standard Bank for entrusting us with this huge task,” says Ngalwa.
A theme of innovation
Relaunching the awards this year, with the theme “Innovation”. The last two years have seen necessity give rise to countless innovations including ones within the media. The Awards and theme this year will celebrate these as well as highlight the significant role that media has played during this time.
Ngalwa says there will be some exciting changes, including some new categories. “This includes a category that recognises journalists for excellence in reporting in Indigenous languages and a category for community service reporting.”
Award categories
The awards are open to all print, online/digital, broadcast (radio and TV) journalists.
The categories are:
The Awards for Rising Star of the Year and Journalist of the Year are selected from the entries in the categories by the jury.
Also awarded by the jury is the Allan Kirkland Soga: Achievement Award which recognises a sustained and extraordinary contribution to newspaper journalism on the part of an individual and the winner will have demonstrated impeccable ethics and craft excellence.
For more, go to www.sikuvile.org.
