The African Fact-Checking Awards, that each year honour journalism by Africa-based media in the new and exciting field of fact-checking, are in their third year, and are growing.
After receiving entries from journalists in just a handful of countries in our first year, we hope this year for entries from journalists in at least 20 countries, and have created awards for reports published in English and in French.
So if you are working as a reporter for an Africa-based media organisation, please get in touch if you publish or broadcast a report between 1 September 2015 and 31 August this year, exposing a false claim on an important topic made by a public figure or institution in Africa.
This year we are increasing total prize money to $6,000. The winner of the awards for best fact-checking report by a journalist working in English, and best fact-checking report by a journalist working in French, will each take away a prize of $2,000. And two overall runners-up will take away prizes of $1,000 each. The names of the winners and runners-up will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Nairobi in October.
The awards are operated in partnership with the African Media Initiative, the largest media industry body on the continent.
The criteria for eligibility
The work may be published in print or online, broadcast on the radio or television or published in a blog.To be eligible for the award, the entry must be an original piece of fact-checking journalism first published or broadcast between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016, by a media house based in Africa.
Reports published by Africa Check are not eligible for the competition.
Candidates may enter more than one report if they so choose.
The judging process
A six-member jury of eminent journalists from across Africa will be announced in July.
All entries sent into the competition before midnight on 31 August 2016 will be judged on the following four criteria.
- The significance for wider society of the claim investigated
- How the claim was tested against the available evidence
- How well the piece presented the evidence for and against the claim
- The impact that the publication had on public debate on the topic
Click here to enter the competition
