Celebrating South Africa's top journalists, the Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards revealed the Free State winners at a function at the Protea Hotel in Bloemfontein on 13 October. 

Each of the regional winners took home R5 000 and will travel to Johannesburg for the national finals in November.

This year, 832 entries were received in the 12 categories: CSI/Sustainability, Editor’s Choice, Financial/Economic, Online, Photography, Print Feature, Print News, Radio Feature, Radio News, Sport, Television Feature, and Television News. There were 128 entries from the Free State Province.

The winners of the 2015 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Regional Awards in the Free State Province are:

2015 CSI/Sustainability winner

Charne Kemp. Volksblad, Goud Werd, Bisar of net Aasvoëlkos

2015 Financial/Economic winner

Vida Booysen. Rapport Sake, Grondplafonne

2015 Online winner

Junior Bonase.Dumelang News, Destitute Gran Strives to Complete Matric

2015 Photography winner

Willem van der Berg. Platteland, Die Langpad Skool Toe

2015 Print Feature winner

Oteng Mpete. Die Volksblad and Bloemnuus, Colour Blind/Lobola (Body of Work)

2015 Print News winner

Vicus Bürger. Die Volksblad, Death of Pierre Korkie

2015 Radio Feature winner

Christal-Lize Muller. Central Media Group, Death of Pierre Korkie (Body of Work)

2015 Radio News winer

Sabrina Dean. OFM, Oscar Pistorius Sentencing

2015 Sport winner

Pieter Steyn. Volksblad, Amper Bokkies

2015 Television Feature winner

Keith Sayster, Gerhard Botes, and Gaokungwe Modutwane. SABC, Namaqualand Communities Up In Arms Over Mining Rights!

2015 Television News winner

Ulrich Hendriks. SABC, Katriena Tradition

2015Editor’s Choice winner

Thandi Xaba of OFM

'We’d like to congratulate all the winners in the Central region for thought-provoking and excellent journalism. We look forward to meeting you at the national finals, where we will be celebrating excellence in journalism in South Africa,' said Makanjee.