South Africa’s journalists, the time has come to showcase your excellence! The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) in partnership with Standard Bank, sponsors of the Sikuvile Journalism Awards, reminds all journalists to submit their finest work from January 1 to December 31, 2024, for the prestigious 2025 awards.
The call for entries officially opened in early February, and we urge all journalists not to wait until the last minute to enter. The deadline of March 31st is fast approaching, and any delay could cost you an opportunity to be recognised for your exceptional reporting. Do not be a “better late than never” journalist—be a leader. Go through your 2024 stories, with the help of colleagues and editors, or pictures now and select your best work to enter.
Virginia Magapatona, Standard Bank’s head of communication, says about the awards: “Excellence in journalism shapes societies, yet it often goes unrecognised. The Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards, now in its thirteenth year recognises journalists and media practitioners who selflessly pursue the truth with courage and dedication. We encourage all journalists working in print, digital, and broadcast media platforms to continue to strive for excellence. Whether you specialise in feature writing, breaking news, business, politics, or photojournalism, this is your opportunity to be recognised for excellence.”
Sanef’s chairman and Sunday Times editor, Makhudu Sefara, emphasises the importance of early submissions: “South African journalists do fantastic work, hence they should be encouraged to enter these awards. They should not risk losing an opportunity to shine and be recognised for their hard work.”
Over the years, the Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards have become a defining moment in South African journalism. “Through these awards, the media industry can see the best of the best across various journalistic platforms being benchmarked against their peers by a panel of top-quality and highly credible judges,” Sefara adds.
Originally known as the Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards (MSNA), the awards have evolved into the Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards. With Standard Bank now contracting Sanef to oversee the awards, they remain the yardstick of quality journalism in South Africa.
As the country’s most influential media freedom advocacy group, Sanef represents veteran and current editors, senior journalists, media trainers, and academics across print, broadcast, and digital platforms. Sanef is committed to promoting quality and ethical journalism while safeguarding freedom of expression.
The Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards are positioned to be South Africa’s flagship journalism awards across all media platforms—Print, Digital, Radio, and TV. Do not miss your opportunity to be celebrated among the finest journalists in the country. Submit your entries now and secure your place among the best!
Submission Details
Journalists and media professionals are encouraged to submit their entries by sending their documents to entries@sikuvileawards.co.za
For more information and submission guidelines, visit https://sikuvileawards.co.za/
Award Categories
Entries are invited from journalists across all platforms for the following categories:
- Hard News
- Indigenous Language Reporting: This category has been refined to entail news articles/broadcasting clips that are the result of proactive reporter enterprise. It is distinct from breaking news and represents stories initiated by the newsroom. Entrants should submit journalistic work that was produced using any of South Africa’s Indigenous languages across media segments, particularly meant to speak to the community the journalists work.
- Community Service Reporting: This category has been remodelled to highlight hyper-local issues crafted from a community interest perspective, to inform, educate, and build resilient communities by amplifying grassroots narratives that matter. These are general community features and creative journalism stories initiated to capture the depth of community sentiments and concerns. Qualifying entries must be journalistic work produced for and published exclusively in community media platforms in all languages, and not in any commercial or publicly owned news entities.
- Investigative Journalism
- Business Journalism
- Features: The Features category will now have two winners: one for Print and Online platforms, and another for Broadcasting. This is after the judges proposed a split in the Features category between print and broadcast entries.
- Lifestyle
- Columns/Editorials
- Visual Journalism (Editorial Cartoons/Graphic Layout)
- News Photographs
- Feature Photographs
- Sports Photographs
- Manager/Publisher of the Year Award: Recognising exceptional newsroom managers and publishers for their contributions. Entries should include a motivation letter or supporting documents provided by colleagues.
- Juby Mayet Rising Star of the Year: Selected by the jury from category entries to honour emerging talent.
- Journalist of the Year: Selected by the jury from category entries for exemplary contributions to the field.
- The Allan Kirkland Soga / Standard Bank Chairman’s Lifetime Achievement Award: Celebrating sustained and extraordinary contributions to journalism by an individual who has demonstrated impeccable ethics and craft excellence.
