Isu Elihle Journalist Awards 2016 Rules & Guidelines:

Please note by submitting your entry, you confirm that you have read and agree with the following rules:

  1. The Competition is open to East and Southern African professional journalists, whether directly employed or freelancers, working in the continent of Africa. This pertains to the following countries: Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  2. No entry fee is payable.
  3. Employees and their immediate families of Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), Media Network on Child Rights and Development (MNCRD) and Save the Children International (SCI) are not eligible to participate in the competition.
  4. The Competition is held in English. Therefore all entries and story ideas should be in English.
  5. Applicants are strictly limited to a maximum of one entry; however, each media house can have as many applicants as it wishes.
  6. Entries should be made in accordance with the instructions given on the competition entry form and must be submitted on, or before, 03 November 2016. After this date, no extensions will be made to this closing date.
  7. Late, incomplete, illegible and/or fraudulent entries will be disqualified.
  8. MMA, MNCRD and SCI reserve the right to refuse entries that do not comply with the above rules. No correspondence will be entered into in this regard.
  9. A panel of distinguished, independent judges with appropriate knowledge and experience of children and the media will judge the competition. The panel of judges will be determined by MMA, MNCRD and SCI in their sole discretion.
  10. No handwritten applications will be accepted. All application must be completed online using the online form which is available here.
  11. The judges reserve the right to transfer entries for consideration in other categories at their discretion.
  12. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  13. The top three journalists selected by the panel of judges will be taken to the final story-writing round of the competition. MMA, MNCRD and SCI will provide financial support to enable the journalists to write and complete their stories in the timeline provided. The financial support shall be administered through the journalists’ employers. Freelance journalists will be individually responsible and accountable to MMA for their costs..
  14. MMA will arrange all flights, transportation, accommodation and scheduled meals for all three finalists coming to the African Investigative Journalism Conference.
  15. The top three finalists must arrange for their visas and any other documentation required for travel and forward the bill to MMA who will cover the cost.
  16. Finalists will be expected to be available for the duration of the programme and participate fully in the calendar of events that are expected to take place on those dates as indicated under the Isu Elihle Awards Timeline.
  17. Journalists must acknowledge that this is only a competition and the awarding of any prize does not give rise to an employment, agency or joint venture relationship or arrangement between journalists and MMA, MNCRD and/or SCI.
  18. By submitting your entry, you confirm that you have read and agree with these rules.
  19. The top three finalists along with their respective editors must commit in writing that they will publish the completed story otherwise the journalist may be disqualified.
  20. Individuals and media houses enter this competition at their own risk. MMA, MNCRD and/or SCI and/or its affiliates cannot be held liable for any injury or accidents, fatalities or damage incurred whilst participating in this competition.