ACME Organised Journalism Awards Return

The African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) has announced the return of the Uganda National Journalism Awards. The Awards were cancelled in May 2018 over funding challenges.

Several journalists had submitted entries for the 2018 awards, but the suspension until further notice of the awards meant that these works would not be recognized. Launched 7 years ago, the awards are aimed at improving the quality of journalism through inspiring and recognising excellence in reporting.    

According to ACME,  the suspension was followed by funding challenges following the expiry in December 2017 of the framework under which the Awards process was previously funded.        

However ACME has today announced the call for entries and nominations to the Uganda National Journalism Awards 2020 after securing funding.       

According to Peter G. Mwesige, the ACME Executive Director, they have now secured funding from the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) to provide core support for the next three editions of the Awards.       

He says ACME will continue to work on sustainable ways of funding the Awards with support from a broader array of partners, including media houses, businesses, non-governmental organisations, and government agencies, he added.     

“The most critical thing is to ensure that the rewarding process remains of the highest standards, free from interference by funders or other interests,” said Dr Mwesige.       

The 2020 Awards are open to all professional journalists working in print, television, radio and online news platforms in Uganda for stories published or broadcast between 1 January and 31 December 2019.

Some of the award categories are; Agriculture reporting, Health, Investigative, Arts Reporting, Breaking news, Justice Law and order,Business and Local reporting among others.

An independent expert panel of 16 members will select winning entries based on accuracy, initiative, originality, clarity of interpretation, storytelling ability, public benefit/impact, audience engagement, innovation, and writing and creative flair.   

Both the winner and first runner-up in each category will receive a substantial cash prize. Plaques and certificates will also be given.