Apply! ACME Uganda National Journalism Awards

The Uganda National Journalism Awards are presented annually to recognise and promote reporting that informs and empowers the public, increases the voices and spaces for important information, and holds the powerful to account. Launched four years ago, the awards represent a pinnacle of achievement for Ugandan journalists, many of whom work tirelessly to attain journalistic excellence, often in the face of enormous financial and political pressure.

This year a new category, Breaking News, has been introduced to the Awards. It recognises skill in storytelling, substance and completeness in covering an unanticipated, unplanned or developing new event within the day. The emphasis of this awards is not only on the ability of journalists to report under the pressure of deadlines, but on subsequent days, their ability to sustain reporting that illuminates key issues pertinent to the original event in a manner that provides context and depth.

Two categories were renamed, broadened or refined for clarity of description and scope. News Illustration is a new category that has been expanded from Editorial Cartooning to include news cartoons, comics, live sketches graphics and illustrations. What was previously the Photojournalism category has been expanded and renamed photo and video journalism to recognise excellence in visual storytelling.

Deadline
31st January 2018

Field
The Uganda National Journalism Awards 2018 will be given to the best reporting in 20 categories, namely:
Agriculture reporting, Arts journalism, Breaking news reporting, Business, economics and financial reporting, Data journalism, Education reporting, Energy, oil, gas and mineral resources, Environment reporting, Explanatory reporting, Feature writing, Health reporting, Investigative reporting, Justice, law and order reporting, Local reporting, National news reporting, News illustration, Photo and video journalism, Political reporting, Sports reporting.

Programme
Contest/Awards

Value
Both the winner and first runner-up in each category will receive a substantial cash prize. Plaques and certificates will also be given. A separate prize for exceptional journalism shall also be awarded to a participant in UNJA who exhibits extensive knowledge of his or her reporting beat, provides evidence of growth over the period of assessment, consistently produces quality work, and is highly regarded by others in the profession. Winners will be celebrated at a grand gala to be held in Kampala in May 2018. Additionally, winning entries will be published online and in a booklet to be distributed by ACME.

Eligibility
The 2018 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 2017.

Application
All submissions must have been published or broadcast in a Ugandan media outlet or a regional outlet with a substantial Ugandan audience during the 2017 calendar year. Web-based news organisations that follow a strict code of journalistic ethics and publish original reporting on a regular basis may also submit entries.
To submit an entry for the awards, visit the Entry Rules and Submission Guidelines  page on the ACME website.
Visit Award Webpage for details