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Deadline: February 29, 2026
The SADC Media Awards Competition 2026 is an annual regional contest that celebrates excellence in journalism across the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Designed to recognise outstanding reporting, storytelling, and investigative work that deepens public understanding of issues affecting the region, this competition honours journalists whose work demonstrates impact, integrity, and innovation. With total prizes amounting to USD 14,000, the SADC Media Awards encourage media professionals to shine a spotlight on critical topics including governance, sustainable development, human rights, peace, climate change, and economic transformation.
Benefits
Participating in the SADC Media Awards provides significant professional and financial benefits:
- Cash prizes totaling USD 14,000, awarded to winners across multiple categories.
- Recognition and credibility for journalistic excellence regionally and beyond.
- Opportunity to have work showcased to policymakers, media leaders, and civil society stakeholders.
- Enhanced reputation that can support career advancement, fellowship eligibility, and speaking invitations.
- Networking opportunities with fellow journalists from across Southern Africa.
- Increased visibility for stories that tackle pressing regional challenges — amplifying impact and public awareness.
SEE ALSO: Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS) AI Policy Fellowship 2026 for Young Professionals ($15,000 Stipend)
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the SADC Media Awards Competition 2026, applicants typically must meet the following criteria:
- Be a journalist or media professional working in or reporting on the Southern African region.
- Hold citizenship, residency, or professional affiliation with one of the SADC member states (including Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe).
- Submit original published work that appeared within the eligible competition period.
- Demonstrate high standards of ethics, accuracy, and impact in the submitted media piece.
- Work may be in written, audio, or visual formats, as specified by award categories.
Application process and documents required
Kindly note that the SADC Secretariat does not receive submissions of entries directly from journalists. All entries must be submitted to the National Media Coordinators for processing at the national level.
Entries are invited from the following categories:
i) Print Journalism: comprising features/articles published in newspapers,
newsletters, websites, magazines.
- Print Journalism submissions should have a minimum of 100 (one hundred
words and a maximum of 2000 (two thousand) words. ii) Radio Journalism: comprising broadcast material. - Radio Journalism broadcast material should have a minimum duration of 1 (one) minute and a maximum of 30 (thirty) minutes. All broadcast material should be submitted on a CD or USB. The entries should be accompanied by electronic transcript in word format for translation purposes.
iii)Television Journalism: comprising televised material. Broadcast material should have a minimum duration of 1 (one) minute and a maximum of forty-five (45) minutes. All broadcast material should be submitted on a CD or USB. The entries should be accompanied by electronic
transcript in word format for translation purposes.
iv) Photojournalism: comprising published pictures with a caption. Photographic entries should have one (1) photo, or a pictorial spread of not more than twenty (20) photos published in one issue/edition. Each entry must be accompanied by an original newspaper in which photo (s) were
published. - All entries must be submitted to the National Adjudication Committee not later than
February 29, 2026.
