Muckrakers, get those submissions together – entries for the 17th Taco Kuiper Award for Investigative Journalism have opened.
The annual award recognises outstanding examples of investigative reporting that reveal untold stories, hold the powerful to account and question those in public and private life within South Africa. Journalists can again compete for the top prize of R200 000, with a second prize of R100 000 up for grabs.
The award is open to all journalists (which includes broadcast, online and photojournalists) for stories about South African issues published or broadcast during 2022.
The award can go to a journalist or team of journalists, and can be for a single story or a series of stories (please do not include pieces from earlier years, though where relevant they can be referred to in your motivation).
The motivation is extremely important, as it should ensure the judges are fully aware of the work that went into the story, risks taken, its originality, context and impact.
How to submit an entry:
Complete this entry form and email it to tkuiperawards@gmail.com
Please pay close attention to these guidelines as entries may be excluded if they do not comply.
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 document version.
- Material that is not in English must be accompanied by an English translation or transcript.
- A 100-word biography and photo of each entrant.
- A high-res copy of the publication/broadcaster’s logo.
- 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 continuing court cases.
- Broadcast entries must include a short video clip of the story for publicity purposes.
The cut-off time for entries is 2pm on 10 February, 2023. No late entries will be accepted, and entrants will receive an acknowledgement of their entry within 48 hours.
Questions and queries about the awards should be directed to tkuiperawards@gmail.com
The standard set at the 2022 awards was excellent. Pieter-Louis Myburgh of Daily Maverick (for his exposée on the Digital Vibes saga), and Susan Comrie and Dewald van Rensburg of amaBhungane (for their work looking into the UPL Chemical Disaster), took joint top honours amid other strong entries from journalists across the country.
Read the judges’ full remarks here.
The 2023 award ceremony will be held on 21 April.