The Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards 2017 (VJOYs) has received over 1,000 entries in total across all of its categories - the highest number of entries ever received during the competition’s 16 year history.

This year’s theme is ‘Your Word’, and promotes the integrity of journalism across all media. The VJOYs prestigious judging panel for the 2017 awards includes first-time convenor Ryland Fisher and judges Mary Papayya, Arthur Goldstuck, Elna Rossouw, Patricia McCracken, Nikiwe Bikitsha, Mathatha Tshedu, Albe Grobbelaar, Megan Rusi and Obed Zilwa.

“We are delighted with the overwhelming amount of interest in this year’s awards, with over 1,000 entries in total received. With the high calibre of stories covered over the last year, we have no doubt that the VJOYs’ judging panel is going to have a difficult task in selecting the winners.” said Takalani Netshitenzhe, Chief Officer for Corporate Affairs at the Vodacom Group.

Regional Awards dates are confirmed as follows:

• Durban – 17 October
• Bloemfontein – 18 October
• Johannesburg – 24 October
• Port Elizabeth – 25 October
• Cape Town – 26 October

The VJOYs have a proud history of honouring excellence in journalism across a range of categories. Applicants have entered work produced between 1 June 2016 and 31 July 2017. Awards are given for the best journalist in a range of categories in five regions nationally, with the process culminating in a national awards ceremony in Johannesburg on 16 November.

The awards are regarded as one of the highest accolades for South African journalists. The VJOYs are a means of recognising skill in the all-important arena of news and information dissemination. Winning a Vodacom Award has become a prestigious career achievement, with the overall national winner set to receive a prize of R100 000.

Western regional winners announced for Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards in Cape Town.

The Western regional awards for the 2017 edition of the Vodacom Journalist of the Year took place this evening (26 October) where journalists were recognised in 12 categories for outstanding work. The theme for the awards this year is ‘Your Word’ and promotes the integrity of journalism across all media. This year’s competition drew over 1 000 entries from all over the country, including 205 entries from the Western region.

Convenor of the judging panel Ryland Fisher says: “The entries across the 12 categories were excellent this year. Our criteria for judging is to look for entries that could possibly make the cut for the national finals, and the overall prize of R100 000 for the journalist of the year award. We were extremely impressed with the standard of entries which we received in the Western Region, with some commendations for excellent work given over and above the regional winners.”

At a function held at the Marriott Hotel Crystal Towers in Cape Town, winners in the Regional categories each took home R5 000, with the exception of the Young Journalist of the Year regional finalist, who received a certificate. All the regional winners go through to the national awards in Johannesburg on 16 November 2017.

Takalani Netshitenzhe, Chief Officer for Corporate Affairs at the Vodacom Group, says: “We are delighted to announce the Western regional winners in Cape Town for the 2017 Awards, which honour journalists from around the country by recognising their best work from the past year. We look forward to welcoming them at the national finals.

 I would also like to pay tribute to the judges, who year after year provide their expertise and knowledge in the adjudication of these prestigious awards, thereby ensuring the integrity of the process. Thanks go to Ryland Fisher, Mary Papayya, Arthur Goldstuck, Elna Rossouw, Patricia McCracken, Nikiwe Bikitsha, Megan Rusi,  Mathatha Tshedu, Albe Grobbelaar and Obed Zilwa.”

The winners of the 2017 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Regional Awards in the Western region are

2017 Radio News 

The Western Cape had its fair share of bad news in the past year, challenging Radio News reporters to cover stories of tragedy, pain, disaster and often murder. For the high standard of reporting on the tragic death of three-year-old Courtney Pieters, the regional winner is: Kevin John Brandt of Eyewitness News.

2017 Radio Feature

Good use of sound, great analysis, high impact and brilliant story telling on a complex and controversial subject made the regional winner in the Radio Feature category exceptional. This story was of the highest standard, taking an in-depth look at the campaign for affordable housing. The regional winner is: Rahima Essop of Cape Talk for “A place to call home”.

2017 Sport

The quality of Sports writing in South Africa is outstanding and widely varied. Very well shot and edited, the regional winners found a story from off the beaten path which highlights an important reality – that cricket in South Africa is not only a white man’s sport. For their depiction of cricket in the rural Eastern Cape, including the fervour of locals who love the sport, the regional winners: Ronald Masinda and Nceba Ntlanganiso of eNCA for “A game loved by all”. 

2017 Sustainability

Entries to the CSI/Sustainability category consistently prove that the best exponents apply all the most demanding journalistic skills to this beat. The judges want to commend Jay Caboz of Forbes Africa for tenaciously following the fracking issue and raising early critiques of the viability of available shale gas in the Karoo in “The fracking future fades”. This specialist category rewards excellent in-depth reporting in any medium and the regional winner took risks to create an exciting and thought-provoking report in both a well-made video and an online feature. For outstanding portrayal of how the dilemma of shellfish poaching is a matter of survival for some, the regional winner is: Aletta Harrison, freelance for Eyewitness News, for “Turning the tide on poaching” 

2017 Print News

Talk about transformation and decolonisation of our culture, education and other spaces abounds. But black learners at Sans Souci Girls High School in Cape Town found out that sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same. They were forbidden to speak their indigenous home languages and forced to tie their hair in ways that could be achieved only if that hair had been stretched. For showing why the Mother City is also part of the debate on the politics of black hair and languages and how these learners joined others around the country calling for an end to cultural imperialism, the Print News regional winner is: Lisa Isaacs of the Cape Times for “Not allowed to speak Xhosa”.

2017 Print Feature

The many good entries for the Print Feature category in the Western region included the well written, the quirky and the historical reassessment. The regional winner demonstrated how a strong feature writer can take ownership of an important news story by following it up with a series of in-depth articles. For a series on the theft of police weapons and their sale to gang members, the regional winner is: Maygene Prins of Die Burger for “Kolonel se wapens eis 1066”.

2017 Online

In the emerging age of data journalism, much of a story’s impact revolves around how it is presented online. The judges want to commend the extensive use of various digital formats by the OpenUp team to tell the human story behind the numbers in “Long commute to freedom” for Code For SA and City Press. However, the regional winner proved that there is still plenty of opportunity in the online medium for courageous reporting. Traditional, hard-nosed, enterprising journalism combined text, photos and video, often obtained at great risk to personal safety. The regional winner, who laid bare some of the inner workings of the Cape Town underworld, providing a rare insight into the characters behind the nightclub security turf wars, is: Caryn Dolley of News24 for “Underworld unmasked”.

2017 Financial/Economic

The specialist Financial and Economic category attracted a broad range of fascinating entries in this region, including 21st-century consumer advice on preventing lobola from wrecking your credit report from Kabelo Khumalo of Independent’s Personal Finance to Ann Crotty’s SASSA analysis for Financial Mail. However, the runaway winner used the online medium to expose the billions lost in tender manipulation and dodgy investment approvals, delivering a wakeup call to the economy and the nation and changing the face of South Africa’s politics. The regional winners are: for #GuptaLeaks the Daily Maverick and the AmaBhungane team of: Stefaans Brummer, Branko Brkic, Pauli van Wyk, Lester Freamon, Adriaan Basson, Richard Poplak, Adi Eyal, Micah Reddy, Susan Comrie, Angelique Serrao, Antoinette Muller, Marianne Thamm, Sam Sole, Tabelo Timse, Pieter-Louis Myburgh, Craig McKune, Lionel Faull, Rebecca Davis and Sally Evans.

Photography

Photographic journalism is clearly flourishing and relevant in this region, making for robust competition. The judges would particularly like to commend a series of strikingly creative images achieved by sharing the risks of going underground with illegal miners into reopened shafts: Cindy Waxa’s for “Survival beats safety at deadly illegal mine” for the Sunday Argus. The regional winner creatively used the subject and the light to reinforce a story depicting the harsh truth that one in five women in South Africa experience domestic violence. For a series of photographs showing the devastating consequences for a woman beaten to blindness by her partner, the winner is: Phandulwazi Jikelo of the Cape Times for “Blind and in despair amid hardship”. 

2017 Television News

Some stories seem to be everlasting, interest in them ebbing and flowing. Yet they can still produce honest and often horrifying results. Stories in the crime beat often follow this pattern and also demand huge commitment from journalists to get the real inside story by spending considerable time gaining a subject’s trust. For an unflinching reflection of what is happening in one of the Cape’s oldest gangs, the TV News regional winners are: Athi Mtongana and Mario Pedro of eNCA for “Gangsterism in the Western Cape”.

Young Journalist Award

The winner in the region gets a certificate and goes through to the national round to compete for the overall prize. The overall award provides an opportunity to fast track a young journalist’s professional and personal development through an all-expenses paid overseas trip that includes a visit to the renowned Thomson Foundation, as well as the opportunity to work in a newsroom. To enter this category, the journalist should have worked in the media for up to, but not more than three years, and be able to demonstrate their potential through their entries. The winner is Monique Mortlock from Eyewitness News.

Northern regional winners announced for Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards in Johannesburg.

The Northern regional awards for the 2017 edition of the Vodacom Journalist of the Year took place this evening (24 October) where journalists were recognised in 12 categories for outstanding work. The theme for the awards this year is ‘Your Word’ and promotes the integrity of journalism across all media. This year’s competition drew over 1 000 entries from all over the country, including 397 entries from the Northern region.

Convenor of the judging panel Ryland Fisher says: “The entries across the 12 categories were excellent this year. Our criteria for judging is to look for entries that could possibly make the cut for the national finals, and the overall prize of R100 000 for the journalist of the year award. We were overwhelmed by the number and the quality of entries from the Northern Region, particularly for the Print News and Online categories, where the judges made several commendations for outstanding work over and above the regional category winners.”

At a function held at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice Melrose Arch, winners in the Regional categories each took home R5 000, with the exception of the Young Journalist of the Year regional finalist, who received a certificate. All the regional winners go through to the national awards in Johannesburg on 16 November 2017

Takalani Netshitenzhe, Chief Officer for Corporate Affairs at the Vodacom Group, says: “We are delighted to announce the Northern regional winners in Johannesburg for the 2017 Awards, which honour journalists from around the country by recognising their best work from the past year. We look forward to welcoming them at the national finals. I would also like to pay tribute to the judges, who year after year provide their expertise and knowledge in the adjudication of these prestigious awards, thereby ensuring the integrity of the process. Thanks go to Ryland Fisher, Mary Papayya, Arthur Goldstuck, Elna Rossouw, Patricia McCracken, Nikiwe Bikitsha, Megan Rusi,  Mathatha Tshedu, Albe Grobbelaar and Obed Zilwa.”

The winners of the 2017 Vodacom Journalist of the Year Regional Awards in the Northern region are:

2017 Radio News

Hundreds of Radio News stories are broadcast every day in South Africa. Many are run-of-the-mill reports that simply convey information. But sometimes a radio news reporter succeeds in really producing a news story that grabs the listener’s attention in a unique way. For a report on the dangers of WhatsApp voice notes in life-threatening situations, the regional winner is:  Hanri Wondergem and Hendrik Martin of SABC RSG for “WhatsApp-paniek”.

2017 Radio Feature

The Northern Region, which includes Gauteng, always has the largest number of entries and this year the quality of entries for the Radio Feature category was also very high. Ultimately, the regional award went to a brilliant piece of radio work on which the winner had worked for a very long time. For telling the story of an innocent man who spent 17 years in jail, the regional winner is: Paul McNally with John Bartmann, Kutlwano Serame and Freddy Mabitsela of Citizen Justice Network for SAfm for the eight-part series, “Alibi”.

2017 Sport

The Sport category was highly contested in this region with a great deal of creativity and expert knowledge evident. But one entrant stood out. For determination and the creative and very innovative approach to expanding the audience base, the worthy regional winners are: Simon Stephens and Khumo Pulumo of eNCA for his Mixed Martial Arts column, The Clinch.

2017 Sustainability

In a country wracked by drought and a province driven by industrialisation, there were several strong contenders in the CSI/Sustainability category who examined the viability and availability of our natural resources. The top entry combined facts, figures and an intensity of investigation that provoked harassment, attempted bribes and death threats. For revealing allegations of how even water supplies in this region and beyond were vulnerable to corruption and capture, our regional winner is: Sipho Masondo of City Press for “Watergate”.

2017 Print News

The Print News entries in this region were so strong this year that the judges want to commend: Suzanne Venter’s series of articles on mentally ill patients; Thomas Nkosi’s expose on the Speaker of the Mpumalanga legislature; Abram Mashego’s articles on Pravin Gordhan being threatened with arrest; Charl Blignaut’s articles on Hlaudi Motsoeneng; Susan Comrie’s articles on the ANC War Room; Sabelo Skiti’s expose on SAA’s money woes; and Genevieve Quintal’s articles about Bathabile Dlamini and Sassa. However, the winners were indisputably: for the “State capture” series, the Tiso Blackstar team of Graeme Hosken, Thanduxolo Jika, Kyle Cowan, Sikonathi Mantshantsha, Qaanitah Hunter, Sabelo Skiti, Hanna Ziady and Genevieve Quintal.

2017 Print Feature

The Print Feature category was heavily contested by entries displaying all the techniques of superb feature writing and reflecting issues gripping the Northern region. The judges want to commend Charl Blignaut of City Press for his artistic analysis of the melee around making the film Kalushi, about the life of Solomon Mahlangu. The winning entry took on the daunting task of opening to readers the doors of Gauteng’s mortuaries in a two-year-long attempt to unravel the escalating crisis of unidentified corpses. The regional winners are: Sarah Wild and Kristen van Schie of the Mail & Guardian for “Gauteng’s unidentified dead”.

2017 Online

Among a rich field of Online entries, the judges want to commend both the mobile journalism by Thomas Holder on the Knysna fires for Eyewitness News and the infusion of human interest by the Health-e News team into their online feature, “Matriarchs of Mthatha” for Al Jazeera. The winning Online entry in the Northern region made the most of the data journalism possibilities offered by investigative analytics in the online medium. Excellent use of graphics, maps and hyperlinks helped to make this an exemplary piece of digital journalism that exposed a widespread threat generally overlooked by the media. Our regional winners are: Laura Grant and Alastair Otter freelancing for Passmark and Times Live for “Hidden danger: asbestos in Gauteng's schools”.

2017 Financial/Economic

The specialist Financial and Economic category attracted a trove of entries in this region and it was good to see several new faces among the frontrunners this year. In this highly contested category, the judges want to commend the challenging expose of Discovery by Rob Rose and Katharine Child of the Financial Mail. The regional winner exposed broken corporate promises to those who, as a result, face becoming the poorest of the poor. The winner is: Lesetja Malope of City Press for “Broken promises from Anglo Gold signal darker days ahead.”

Photography

Photographers use their cameras as a tool of expression to tell stories that demand our attention and can change how we see our world. We want to commend a moving photographic essay depicting the strength of will driving a 37kg bodybuilder with sickle-cell anaemia to compete onstage. Just edging past this to win the regional award was a photographic report that took us to the forefront of violent action and student protest yet retained full technical control in the midst of the anger and frustrations. The same photographer captured both these very different emotional journeys. The regional winner is: Alon Skuy of The Times for “Fees must fall”.

2017 Television News

Protests that unfolded across South Africa during 2016 reminded many of scenes during apartheid. This time, though, the protestors were the Born Frees who pursued their dream of free education in what became running battles with police and authorities. The best TV news coverage gave the audience a sense of the immediacy, scope and intensity of what was happening on the ground. The regional winners are: Malungelo Booi, Lirandzu Themba, Mlingane Dude and Thuthuka Zondi of eNCA for “South Africa’s fees crisis”.

2017 Television Feature

Journalism can influence awareness of what is happening in our country and drive public discourse. Months of investigation resulted in a series of reports that were thoroughly researched, poignantly told, well shot and edited – and exposed conditions contributing to the death of one of the subjects. This impactful reporting was subsequently even used during the official investigation. The regional winners are: Kyla Hermannsen, Shamiel Albertyn, Ashley Market, Tshepo Dhlamini and Tshidi Lechuba of eNCA’s Checkpoint for “Life Esidimeni”.

Young Journalist Award

The winner in the region gets a certificate and goes through to the national round to compete for the overall prize. The overall award provides an opportunity to fast track a young journalist’s professional and personal development through an all-expenses paid overseas trip that includes a visit to the renowned Thomson Foundation, as well as the opportunity to work in a newsroom. To enter this category, the journalist should have worked in the media for up to, but not more than three years, and be able to demonstrate their potential through their entries. The winner is Sebe Buthelezi from Etv/ENCA.

Central regional winners announced for Vodacom Journalist of the Year Awards in Bloemfontein

The Central regional awards for the 2017 edition of the Vodacom Journalist of the Year took place on 18 October. Journalists were recognised in 12 categories for outstanding work. The theme for the awards this year is ‘Your Word’ and promotes the integrity of journalism across all media. This year’s competition drew more than 1 000 entries from all over the country, including 188 entries from the Central region.

Convenor of the judging panel Ryland Fisher says: “The entries across the 12 categories were excellent this year. Our criteria for judging is to look for entries that could possibly make the cut for the national finals, and the overall prize of R100 000 for the journalist of the year award. As always, the entries from the Central region were interesting and enjoyable and, in some cases, even quirky. But all of this is what makes a competition such as the Vodacom Journalist of the Year so special.”