The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, WAN-IFRA, is calling for nominations for the 2017 edition of Women in News Editorial Leadership Award.
The award which was launched in conjunction with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, SIDA, recognises the exemplary contribution of the Woman editor not only to her newsroom but to the entire society.
According to information on the association’s website, “The Women in News Editorial Leadership Award will be awarded to two outstanding woman editors who stand out from their peers in inspiring and paving the way forward for the next generation of leaders.”
“The ‘Winners’ will possess a proven track record of success within her newsrooms, having demonstrated uncompromising editorial integrity throughout her career and upheld a strong commitment to the principles of press freedom and its power to promote democracy and good governance.”
It is worthy of note that a Nigerian, Toyosi Ogunseye, Editor of SUNDAY PUNCH, was the inaugural recipient of the award in 2014 which was presented by WAN-IFRA and the World Editors Forum.
Speaking on the feat, Toyosi acknowledged that “Winning the award has given me the platform to meet, speak to, and network with African media leaders on the need to give equal opportunities to female journalists while also making newsrooms gender friendly for them to thrive.”
Eligible nominees in 2017 must: (a) “Be based in the sub-Saharan region of Africa or the Middle East and North Africa region.
(b) “Hold a senior editorial role as of 1 January 2017.
(c) “Work in a news media role (newspapers, magazines, or digital-only). The media house can be any size from across the regions.”
Winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the World News Media Congress and World Editors Forum in Durban, where they will be honoured.
The event, which is described as the premier global annual meeting of the world’s press, will be held between June 7 and 9, 2017.
Completed applications must be received no later than 1 March 2017 and candidates can nominate themselves, or be nominated by someone else.
The application form can be downloaded on the Women in News site (http://womeninnews.org/award2017/), and emailed to [email protected] on completion.
For more on the WAN-IFRA Women in News programme, supported by the Swedish International Development Agency, please visit: www.womeninnews.org or send an email to [email protected]
Melanie Walker, the Director Media Development, WAN-IFRA can also be reached via [email protected]