MEDIA Rights Agenda (MRA) has announced call for entries for the Goodluck Jonathan Freedom of Information Awards 2026.
The awards are designed to recognise and celebrate journalistic excellence in promoting transparency and accountability through the effective use of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, 2011.
Named in honour of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, who signed the FOI Act into Law on May 28, 2011, the first category of the awards will celebrate a journalist who has made the highest number of information requests under the Act.
The second category will honour a journalist who has made the most outstanding contributions in promoting the Act since its enactment by raising awareness among citizens, government officials and the media about it, including its provisions, how to use it, its benefits, and the rights it grants, as well as advocating for its effective implementation.
In a statement announcing the opening of the call on Thursday, October 23, MRA called on all eligible Nigerian journalists working across print, broadcast, online, and multimedia platforms to submit their entries for consideration in two distinct categories.
Category one is for the Most Active User of the FOI Act. This award will be given to a journalist who has made the highest verifiable number of information requests under the FOI Act between May 28, 2011, and December 31, 2025. This category aims to celebrate and encourage the active and consistent use of the Act as a tool for journalistic investigation as well as for promoting and ensuring transparency and good governance.
Category two is for the Most Outstanding Promoter of the FOI Act. This award will recognise a journalist who has made the most outstanding contributions in promoting the FOI Act since its enactment in 2011. This includes raising public awareness about the Act, its provisions, how to use it, its benefits, and the rights it confers on individuals, as well as advocating for its effective implementation through news stories, feature articles, opinion pieces, or other media outputs.
Applicants must be journalists of Nigerian nationality, working in any print, broadcast, online, or multimedia outlet, and should not be under any legal constraint. They must not have been adjudged by an appropriate regulatory or judicial body to be guilty of professional misconduct.
All interested journalists are required to complete an application form and attach relevant, verifiable documentation for their claims, which may include acknowledged copies of FOI requests or copies of published media outputs, depending on the category.
The deadline for all submissions is 23.59 (WAT) on January 31, 2026.
According to MRA, the winner in each category will receive a plaque, a certificate, and a prize. The awards will be formally presented at a public ceremony to be held in Abuja on May 28, 2026, coinciding with an event to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Act.
For application forms and further inquiries, please contact MRA by email at: foi_awards@mediarightsagenda.org
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org