The Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) has officially opened entries for the 2024 AVBOB FCJ Excellence Awards, celebrating outstanding work in community and local print media across South Africa. The awards aim to encourage journalistic excellence and recognize exceptional reporting, photography, and newspaper production.
Submissions are open to permanent editorial staff and regular freelance contributors (those contributing at least once a month). Entries must cover work published between 1 January and 31 December 2024. The deadline for all submissions is Friday, 30 May 2025, at 23:59.
The prestigious awards ceremony will take place on 22 August 2025 in the Western Cape, bringing together some of the country’s finest community media talent.
Wide Range of Categories Recognizing Editorial Excellence
This year’s competition features multiple writing categories, including:
- Investigative Reporting
- Hard News
- Human Interest Stories
- Sport Reporting
- Digital Reporting
- Editorial Commentary and Columns
- Headlines Excellence
- Vernacular Language Reporting
Journalists with less than three years’ experience will automatically be considered for the Alet Roux Award for Best Newcomer, while the coveted Journalist of the Year title will go to a standout participant demonstrating excellence across multiple categories.
Photography and Newspaper Categories Also Open
Photographers can compete for awards such as:
- Photographer of the Year
- Upcoming Photographer of the Year (for newcomers)
- Mobile Photographer of the Year (highlighting smartphone photography)
Additionally, newspapers themselves can compete for:
- Best Front Page
- Best Back Page
- Newspaper of the Year (split into sold and free publication categories)
Entry Submission Details
All entries must be submitted electronically via Google Drive in PDF format (photography entries require special handling as per guidelines). Entrants must complete the designated Google Form to finalize their submissions and ensure entries are properly accessible to judges.
Participants are reminded to carefully follow the detailed submission guidelines to avoid disqualification.
For enquiries, entrants may contact Dr. André Gouws (Convenor of Judges) at andreg@akademia.ac.za or FCJ Executive Director Ben Burger at myfcjinfo@gmail.com.
Important Dates:
- Submission Deadline: 30 May 2025
- Awards Ceremony: 22 August 2025, Western Cape
The FCJ Excellence Awards remain a hallmark of credibility and celebration for South Africa’s vibrant community media sector, continuing to uplift and inspire excellence across the country.
