Africa Check is seeking entries for its African Fact-Checking Awards.
The event is the longest-running awards programme honoring fact-checking journalism by the media in Africa and is in its ninth year.
Entries for the 2022 awards are now open to journalists, journalism students, and a newly added category of professional fact-checkers – across the continent.
The organisers say the need for accurate information in everyday life has spurred the growth of fact-checking in Africa and across the world. In 2021, a record number of 216 entries were received from 28 African countries.
The winners of the working journalist and professional fact-checker categories will each get a prize of US$3,000. The runners-up will receive $1,500. The winner of the student journalist category will be awarded $2,000, and the runner-up $1,000.
To qualify, entries must have been first published or broadcast in the period from August 1, 2021, to July 15, 2022. The fact-check should conclude that a claim about an important topic, originating in or relevant to Africa, is either misleading or wrong.
The awards have three categories, with honors going to a winner and a runner-up. The categories are:
Fact-Check of the Year by a Working Journalist.
Fact-Check of the Year by a Professional Fact-Checker.
Fact-Check of the Year by a Student Journalist.
Fact-checks can be published/broadcast in any language, but entry forms must be completed in either English or French. However, should the fact-checking report not be in English or French, a written translation must be submitted with the entry.
Entries close at midnight GMT on July 15, 2022. Interested applicants can apply here.
Blessing Otoibhi is a Multimedia Journalist and Anchor host for the News in 60 seconds at The International Center For Investigative Reporting. You can shoot her a mail via Botoibhi@icirnigeria.org or connect on Twitter @B_otoibhi