The Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards 2013.

February 7, 2013

The Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards recognise journalists and editors who provide high quality coverage of the business environment in Africa. The Awards recognise the fact that better business journalism plays an important role in Africa’s investment flows and generates more business interest on the continent.

Who can enter:

To qualify for the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards 2013, all submissions must have been published or broadcast in the period 24 March 2012 – 15 March 2013.

the judges are looking for:

Our panel of independent, highly respected and experienced judges are looking for overall excellence in business journalism within a framework of insight and integrity. They will be looking for entries which demonstrate:

Groundbreaking journalism that provides excellent analysis and clarity of the business climate
Content supported by investigative research that has ‘gone the extra mile’
A clear and balanced presentation of the issue/s involved
Excellent use of the medium. All media, including blogs and other online material, are eligible in every category
Journalistic flair – a style that is engaging, though-provoking and accessible to its audience

Entries must reach the secretariat by Wednesday 15 March 2013. No exceptions will be made. Entries received after this date will be disqualified.

The Finalists:

The finalists selected by our panel of judges will be invited to attend in person an awards ceremony in London, UK, on Thursday 11 July 2013. The finalists attending will receive return flights (economy class) to London, UK, and accommodation, chosen by Diageo, for the awards ceremony on Thursday 11 July 2013. Finalists are responsible for procuring appropriate visa documentation to travel, although Diageo will reimburse the cost of the visa application.

Diageo will not pay for any legal or other professional fees that may be procured during the visa application process. Diageo also recommends that finalists purchase adequate travel insurance.

The Prize:

Each category winner will receive a trophy, certificate and a cheque for £500. Prizes are non-transferable.

How to enter:

You can only enter a maximum of three pieces. Each piece may only be submitted once. In instances where more than three entries are submitted, only the first three will be considered. In instances where a piece is submitted more than once it will only be considered for the first category it was entered. There is a wide selection of categories, so select the category most relevant to your story.
Submitted pieces should be a feature or series of related features delivered on any media platform (print, broadcast, online). Features should be no more than 5000 words or one hour in length. Where a series of related features are submitted as a single entry, these should not be more than 5000 words, or one hour, in total.
Please provide all the relevant details on the form.
Please provide a brief synopsis of no more than 500 words describing your submission (This will be used in awards collateral if it is selected to go through to the next round).
Submission details to be provided for each piece as follows: Title of article(s), Publication(s)/Programme(s), Date of publication/broadcast, Country/Region of publication/broadcast.
Format(s) of submission(s) to be provided as follows: Link. Please provide live URL. Attachment. Please attach print entries (No bigger than 10MB each. Please put multiple files into one zipped folder if possible.) Courier. Please state what you are sending and to which secretariat office you are sending your work, name of the courier company and tracking reference. Please see below for the addresses of the secretariat offices.
Completed entries must reach the secretariat by 5:00pm GMT, Friday 15 March 2013. No extension will be made to this date and entries received after the deadline will not be considered.

The Categories

Please go through your eligible stories (all submissions must have been published or broadcast in the period 24 March 2012 – 15 March 2013.) and ensure you send us the work that best demonstrates your storytelling abilities. Entrants are strictly limited to a MAXIMUM OF THREE ENTRIES. All categories are open to print, radio, television and online journalists.

Best Information and Communication Technology (ICT) feature
A feature or series of related features delivered on any media platform (print, broadcast, online) that examines any aspect of the ICT sector in a thoughtful and engaging way. This might include, but is not limited to, telecommunications infrastructure, mobile, networking, security, cybercrime, e-learning, hardware, software or internet.
Best Finance feature
A feature or series of related features delivered on any media platform (print, broadcast, online) that examines any aspect of the finance/banking sector in a thoughtful and engaging way. This might include, but is not limited to, investment opportunities, retail banking, credit cards, corporate finance, mobile money or payment systems.
Best Infrastructure feature
A feature or series of related features delivered on any media platform (print, broadcast, online) that examines any aspect of infrastructure (physical or otherwise) in a thoughtful and engaging way. Features addressing issues of energy and transport can enter this category. This might include, but is not limited to, infrastructure development projects, aviation, oil, roads, rail or energy.
Best Agribusiness / Environment feature
A feature or series of related features delivered on any media platform (print, broadcast, online) that examines any aspect of agribusiness or environmental issues in a thoughtful and engaging way. This might include, but is not limited to, climate change, agriculture, food security, water management, farming or resource management.
Best Tourism feature
A feature or series of related features delivered on any media platform (print, broadcast, online) that examines business aspects of the tourism industry in a thoughtful and engaging way. This might include, but is not limited to, sustainability, conservation, marketing and branding, or investment.
Best Business News story
A news story or series of related stories delivered on any media platform (print, broadcast, online) that:
- Addresses a breaking news story from the time period of the awards
- Answers all basic questions in a clear and balanced fashion
- Demonstrates journalistic flair – a style that is engaging, though-provoking and accessible to its audience.
Best Business Feature story
A feature or series of related features delivered on any media platform (print, broadcast, online) that:
- Examines business or the economy in an African context
- Provides useful background material for readers to understand relevance
- Provides the bigger picture and importance to Africa, as well as specific issues it might be addressing
- Brings the business and economy to life through examples and use of language, while answering serious questions.
Best Newcomer
A portfolio of three features (can be across different platforms) by a journalist who has been working as a reporter for less than five years. Proof of first date of accreditation will be required. Judges will be looking for overall quality of reporting, understanding of business issues and personal insights, as well as a commitment to sustained coverage of the business and economic climate in Africa, which serves to highlight opportunities as well as challenges.
Media of the Year
A print publication, broadcast programme/channel, website or blog that is a comprehensive resource for its audience providing sustained coverage of Africa’s business and economic news, issues and analysis (sector-specific or otherwise). Please submit a portfolio of five articles of no more than 5,000 words each, or five broadcast programmes, of no more than three hours in total. In addition to quality of reporting, balanced perspective, insight and analysis, judges will be looking for style and presentation, as well as outlets that are building a reputation amongst business and investor communities as a valued source of information about Africa.
Journalist of the Year
A portfolio of three features (on any one or a mixture of media platforms) of no more than 5,000 words or one hour each. Submitted pieces can cover different topics, industries or people, or be part of a series of reportage. Judges will be looking for features that demonstrate:
- Quality, style, presentation and a way of engaging the audience
- A commitment to sustained coverage of the business and economic climate in Africa which serves to highlight opportunities as well as challenges
- A reflection of journalistic integrity and ethics and a true commitment to reporting that does not sensationalise stories or individuals