Journalist of the year Award

Winners of all the other categories will be entered in this category where an overall winner who will have epitomized high standards of journalism worth emulating will be identified and awarded.

Environment Reporting Award

This award recognises journalists who have displayed in-depth knowledge of covering developments in environmental conservation and climate and their impact on human life. Efforts by stakeholders towards environmental protection, mitigation of adverse effects of climate change and how citizens are adopting and innovating ways of coping.

Press Freedom Pen

In promoting press freedom in Kenya, this award will recognize journalists’ who write stories in efforts to contribute and propagate press/media freedom in Kenya despite facing, threats, attacks, or imprisonment. Besides individual journalists, editors can nominate journalists to be awarded in this category briefly outlining reasons why the nominated journalist deserve recognition.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding lifetime contribution to journalism in Kenya. Individuals who have worked in any type of media (print, broadcast, digital) and in any journalism category (news, business, politics, cartoon, arts, etc.) are eligible for consideration. The recipient will have demonstrated, throughout his/her career, a commitment to the highest journalistic standards and ideals. His/her work and contribution to the field and society should serve as a model that inspires excellence in others.

COVID 19 Reporting

This award recognizes the important work of journalists as they helped audiences understand and navigate through the confusing and conflicting information about the coronavirus pandemic (COVID 19). These will be stories that kept audiences informed with accurate and crucial health information about COVID 19, while also digging into the reasons for the rapid spread of the virus, the sometimes chaotic and counterproductive decision-making by governments, and the impact on citizens and medical systems.

Gender Reporting

This award will recognize journalists who have prioritized and provided understanding of issues that seek to promote gender equity, equality and empowerment of men and women in society. These stories capture portrayal and treatment of women and girls as well as men and boys and seek to break and demystify myths as well as seek to influence policy and behavior change. The concept of gender sensitive reporting comes into play and focus on such storytelling.

Business and Financial Reporting

This award recognizes journalists who accurately interpret the impact of policies and laws on businesses and business practice on the public. Stories on finance, manufacturing as envisioned under the Big 4 Agenda, innovative enterprises and other economic development issues. The stories should also highlight policies and their effects on the business world trends and their role in promoting and nourishing of the East African Community (EAC) Common Market are highly encouraged.

Governance Reporting

This award recognizes journalist who write stories geared towards upholding integrity, the fight against corruption, promotion of the rule of law, ethical practices, and national cohesion in matters of governance. The articles/stories could also include upholding of human rights, fair business practices and compensation for communities displaced to pave way for infrastructure development and extractives activity. The stories entered in this category must exhibit professionalism and inclination to promote such national values as provided for by the Constitution on leadership and integrity.

Sports Reporting

This award recognizes sports stories that are balanced and informative, providing an understanding on the importance of sports in talent search, international image building and national development. The stories could also highlight issues in the wider scope of policies that enhance or stifle sports development in the country.

ICT & Telecommunications Reporting

The award recognizes outstanding articles/stories in technological advancement, innovations and creative use of information, communication, and technology application to change the lives of the public. Through the stories, members of the public are persuaded to understand, embrace and use new inventions while at the same time showing government’s use of ICT for efficiency in service delivery, and any public policy challenges and opportunities that affect technology uptake in Kenya.

Best Radio Production

This award will recognize journalists and crew that have creatively produced radio shows, programs, and features professionally and the show had impact both on the listeners, professional colleagues and upcoming journalists. The show will have demonstrated impact on a public interest matter.

Camera Person of the Year

This award recognizes journalists who work behind the scenes using a camera to bring captivating images that keep audiences engaged and glued to their screens. Such pictures should tell a story and depict the context and perspective of the events captured.

Podcast of the year

This award will recognize entrants who have recorded a digital audio file discussing pertinent public interest issues with impact of policy or individual behavior change. The story must have been done by professionally and meets journalistic standards on matters that have policy implication. The story should have appeared online for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series of which can be received by subscribers automatically after he or she has recorded.

Cartoonist of the Year

The award recognizes artistic creativity and presentation through caricatures and illustrations. It looksat journalists quality of work and an in-depth representation of topical and national issues that have a bearing on the lives of members of the public. Such artistic representations should put issues in context and in perspective and thereby make those issues make sense.

Best MCK Grantee

This category will identify a recipient of Media Council of Kenya grants whose story or stories stood out as creatively written and presenting a unique angle to an ordinary story. The category will recognize grantees who successfully completed training and followed mentorship under the grants programme, and submitted published work as required.

Health Reporting

This award recognizes journalists’ ability to generate interpretative stories that go beyond medical terms to inform the public on health, creating understanding of medical procedures and related health issues, health policies such as Universal Health Care (UHC) that affect the public. Stories in this category will include other health related issues with a social impact such as drugs and substance abuse and lifestyle diseases. Stories in this category will also show strides in the Big Four Agenda, and government responses to pandemics, protection, and promotion of the rights of Kenyans to access quality health care, and must be narrated with care, professionalism and solutions suggested by the journalists.

Development Reporting

This award recognizes journalist who have produced well researched articles/stories on development issues including those that highlight advancement of agriculture, infrastructure, food security, arts and culture, as envisaged in the Vision 2030. This category also takes cognizance of stories that capture the status of the Big 4 Agenda which the government is implementing to transformative the lives of Kenyans especially relating to the economic, social, and cultural rights as provided for in the Constitution.

Investigative Story

This award recognizes journalists who will go beyond the surface, dig out facts and expose public interest matters. Using various tools and journalism tools, such stories will focus on matters that have great implication for the society, but which the actors don’t want shared/known by the public. These may be great exposes on public interest matters.

Best Prime Time Bulletin

This award recognizes news bulletins that are informative, capture public interest issues, present changing events and current affairs in a creative and entertaining manner. The news package should be one that is authoritative, empowers audiences and has the potential to influence decision-making at community and leadership levels. The news content should be ethical and exemplary in compliance to news values. Viewers and listeners will vote for bulletins in this category via the online platform. Media houses can mobilize their listeners to vote.

Best News Website

The award recognizes news websites and online platforms that engage in professional journalism through generating and sharing accurate and verified news. The online platform that engages in independent news production with an eye on public interest issues and which is legitimate and focuses on responsible and high impact news.

Photojournalist of the Year

This award will recognize photographers who demonstrate unique talent and creativity while using the camera to tell stories. The Photographs should capture the story, have impact on readers/viewers and remain true to journalistic principles.

Journalist of the year Award

Winners of all the other categories will be entered in this category where an overall winner who will have epitomized high standards of journalism worth emulating will be identified and awarded.

Environment Reporting Award

This award recognises journalists who have displayed in-depth knowledge of covering developments in environmental conservation and climate and their impact on human life. Efforts by stakeholders towards environmental protection, mitigation of adverse effects of climate change and how citizens are adopting and innovating ways of coping.

Press Freedom Pen

In promoting press freedom in Kenya, this award will recognize journalists’ who write stories in efforts to contribute and propagate press/media freedom in Kenya despite facing, threats, attacks, or imprisonment. Besides individual journalists, editors can nominate journalists to be awarded in this category briefly outlining reasons why the nominated journalist deserve recognition.