African Investigative Journalism Conference-African Investigative Journalist of the Year Award

Job Description

All African journalists are invited to submit entries for the 2024 WCJ / AIJC African Investigative Journalist of the Year Award.

The Award, supported by Absa, recognises outstanding examples of investigative reporting from Africa that reveal untold stories, hold the powerful to account, question those in public life and serve the public interest. The prize is US$5 000. Major travel costs like flights, accommodation and transport will be covered for the finalists.

The Award is open to all African journalists or teams of journalists working in any media for stories from and about Africa published or broadcast in African media between 1 July 2023 to 1 July 2024.

Entries close at 14H00 on 27 September 2024 . The award ceremony will be held at the African Investigative Journalism Conference in Johannesburg.

The rules

The Award recognises the best examplar of investigative reporting from and about Africa over the year ending end-June. The Award can be made to a journalist or team of journalists working in any medium. It can be for a single story or a series of stories published or broadcast in Africa in the previous year.

Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges who have discretion to set and use criteria they consider to be appropriate and reasonable. They will take into account:

• The originality of the story and the revelations it contains
• The investigative work that went into it, particularly inventiveness and persistence or courage
• The impact of the story, particularly in relation to public service

No individual journalist or organization can be part of more than two entries. Each entry may consist of no more than five stories.

Please read How to Enter, below, carefully to avoid being disqualified for non-compliance.

How to enter

Complete the entry form and email the material listed below to aijc.awards@journalism.co.za

Entries must include:

• An electronic copy of the entry material as published/broadcast. If the original is reduced in size it must be accompanied by a readable Word/PDF version.
• A 100-word biography and high-res photo of each entrant.
• A high-res copy of the publication/broadcaster’s
• A short motivation for the entry (maximum 500 words), including any background the judges should be aware of, an indication of the impact of the story and details of any significant challenge to the accuracy or fairness of the entry such as published letters, corrections, retractions, formal complaints or court cases. This motivation is critical and judges should be informed of the finer detail that went into the investigation, for example, accessing hard-to-come-by documents or innovative problem-solving. The judges want to know the smart and hard work that went into the story, the risks taken, its originality, context and impact.
• Broadcast entries must include a transcript and a short video clip of the story for publicity

Do not include material from outside the competition time frame, though where relevant these can be referred to in your motivation.

It would be helpful – but not essential – if entries in languages other than English can be provided with a translation.

No late entries will be accepted. Entrants will receive an acknowledgement of their entry within 72 hours.

If entering a work produced by a team please include the names of all team members and their responsibilities.

Questions and queries about the awards should be directed to AIJC@journalism.co.za

The organisers retain the right to use any material in the winning entry for publicity and promotional purposes relating to the awards, and undertake to give full credit to the individuals and the media involved.