With weeks to the 2024 Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA) gala, the selection panel is combing through an impressive 1,081 entries received this year. While this marks a slight decrease from the 1,256 entries received in 2023, it underscores the competitive spirit and unwavering standards within the country's journalism industry.
The Environment and Climate Change Reporting category recorded the highest entries at 178, up from 44 entries last year. This surge reflects the growing interest in environmental issues in media coverage, highlighting the media's pivotal role in raising awareness and stimulating conversations on critical societal issues.
Chairperson of the AJEA judging panel Rachel Ombaka says there’s need to adapt AJEA’s categories to reflect evolving journalistic trends.
She has also called for enhanced engagement of editors especially on digital content and presentation.
“The AJEA being such a successful signature event of the Council can share learnings in the region by leveraging the recently formed East Africa Press Councils”, she said at a meeting of the judging panel.
However, amidst the accolades, some entrants faced disqualification for submitting their stories in the wrong categories, underscoring the importance of adherence to submission guidelines. Judges also encountered challenges in verifying original published copies of certain submissions leading to disqualification.
The judging panel further noted challenges journalists face in understanding the features of proper digital stories, highlighting the need for further training and infrastructure support in this area. Nevertheless, there was commendable improvement in the quality of stories submitted by vernacular TV stations, with one entry standing out for its captivating translation and captions, making it accessible to a wider audience.
Conversely, the Gender Reporting category experienced a decline in submissions compared to the previous year, emphasising the continued importance of gender-related journalism despite the decrease in entries.
Speaking on the upcoming awards, CEO of the Media Council of Kenya David Omwoyo reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to ensuring the awards retain its position in promoting journalistic standards in the country.
“We remain committed to build further on the credibility of these awards, including on the various partnerships towards the awards. I am pleased with the partners we have brought on board throughout”, he said.
Mr Omwoyo commended community and vernacular media outlets for the impressive entries this year, saying the good work should be “recognised appropriately”.
This year’s winners will be unveiled at the culmination of the 2024 World Press Freedom Day at a gala dinner slated for May 3rd in Nairobi.
The prestigious event will honour Kenya’s top journalists, including the Lifetime Achievement Award that will recognise an individual whose contributions to journalism serve as a beacon of excellence for others.
The nine-member nomination panel comprises esteemed industry figures including Rachel Ombaka, Betty Dindi, Odeo Sirari, Simaloi Dajom, Henry Owino Opondo, Maina Muiruri, David Okwembah, Martin Mutua and Mike Wanyama Chebusiri.