THE Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) is now accepting entries for its investigative reporting awards for journalists. The application, which opened on Monday 4th October 2021, will close on October 24, 2021.
Executive Director/CEO of WSCIJ Motunrayo Alaka said that journalists from the print, online, photo, cartoon, television, and radio genres with stories published between 4th October 2020 and 3rd October 2021 were qualified to submit their works on the online portal – www.award.wscij.org.
The WSCIJ introduced the portal for application for all categories of the award in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to encourage journalists who otherwise would not apply because of long distance and the cost of sending hardcopy applications to apply.
The organisers further stated that submitted works that met the entry criteria would be coded by WSCIJ to conceal the identity of authors and their media houses and scored by an independent Judges’ Board based on the quality of investigation, evidence, human rights elements, ethical reportage, courage, individual creativity, public interest, impact and quality of presentation.
The board is made up of seasoned media practitioners, academics and journalism veterans with a good understanding of investigative reporting and its public policy implications.
The WSCIJ said it remained committed to rewarding best practices in the media through the award which had produced 102 finalists, 52 Soyinka Laureates, and 11 investigative journalists of the year. It has also made 24 honorary decorations for the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Anti-Corruption/Human Rights Defender Awards
Damilola Banjo, an investigative reporter with BBC, won the overall Nigeria Investigative Journalist of the Year 2020 for her investigation on “Justice for Sale: Inside the Lagos Anti-Cultism ‘Illegal’ Detention Centre” which was published by The ICIR.
The joint investigative piece by Habib Oladapo and Damilola Banjo, ‘Inside a Lagos state school where A1 can be bought’ (Part 1& 2), published by The ICIR, was commended in the same category.
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