Entries now open for 2015 Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism

Journalists encouraged to submit entries for the African Growth Story category
 
Entries for the 2015 Sanlam Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism are now open. The Awards are sponsored and organised by South Africa-based financial services group, Sanlam.
 
For the third consecutive year, the coveted African Growth Story category is up for grabs for journalists from across the continent whose work is published and/ or broadcast in Africa.

This category honours the journalist who best captures the growth story of the African continent, highlighting the economic awakening as well as the challenges and obstacles to growth.
 
In 2015, Kenya's Business Daily journalist, Mr Neville Otuki scooped the Best Newcomer award following his strong entry for the African Growth Story category. Otuki walked away with the R15 000 (KES105 997) prize money.
 
The Best Newcomer award, which is determined by the judging panel, goes to a journalist with less than three years' experience who the judges believe will make a significant contribution to financial journalism in the future. It was the first time in the 40-year history of the Awards that this category was won by a non-South African journalist.
 
The annual Awards were established by Sanlam in 1974 as a platform to recognise and celebrate excellence in financial journalism as well as honour some of the finest financial journalists.
 
Sanlam Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ian Kirk, says that Sanlam is proud to continue its support for the Awards. "As a proudly Pan-African financial services company, we are pleased to once again sponsor this prestigious competition which acknowledges the hard work, dedication and impressive reporting skills of African journalists.
 
"In 2013, we introduced the African Growth Story category to recognise financial journalists from across Africa whose work focuses on telling the growth story of the continent in terms of investments and infrastructure developments, among others, including the related challenges. We hope these Awards contribute to encourage quality journalism that critically looks at and celebrates the continent's growth.  We believe Africa is home to some of the finest financial journalists and we encourage all eligible individuals to submit their entries and showcase their remarkable efforts."
 
Entries will close on 29 February 2016, giving applicants more than two months to collate and submit their entries.
 
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in Johannesburg in 2016. The judging panel will use the following criteria to evaluate entries: news value, impact, rigour in reporting, analytical value, originality, integrity, specialist knowledge and story-telling.
 
The judging panel, convened by Mr Peter Vundla, the chairman of AMB Capital, currently includes Mr Charles Naudé, a retired editor; Ms Caroline Southey, the editor of The Conversation Africa; Mr Franz Krüger, adjunct professor of journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand; Prof Nixon Kariithi, founder of Tangaza Africa Media; Ms Maud Motanyane of Kagiso Media; Mr Ulrich Joubert, an independent economist; and Mr Jabulani Sikhakhane, formerly with National Treasury in South Africa and now deputy editor of The Conversation Africa.
 
For more information click http://bit.ly/SFJOY for the dedicated Awards website which provides full details about the Awards, including the entry forms.