Standard Bank unveils awards winners today
Payday for the best journalists of the 2014 Standard Bank Knockout Cup has finally come. Today, the bank has set the stage to unveil and award deserving media personalities during the Media Awards Ceremony at Atmosphere Restaurant in Blantyre.
Standard Bank chief financial officer Temwani Simwaka said in a press statement yesterday that the prize presentation ceremony follows a thorough screening of the submissions by a four-member independent judging panel.
“In the last two months, the independent panel of judges has been carefully assessing the submissions and debating on suitability based on set criteria. The judges were ensured thoroughness in their critique. They scrutinised every entry in detail and with a fair eye. We are glad that, finally, we have winners, some form of ‘white smoke’,” she said.
Simwaka said Standard Bank is proud to be associated with the media competition, which promotes excellence and objectivity in sports journalism in Malawi.
“The competition complements the Knockout Cup, which is contested by top flight football clubs on the land,” she said.
The judging panel is led by Maclan Kanyang’wa, who is the head of journalism and media studies at the Malawi Polytechnic. Other members of the panel are Ellard Manjawila, journalism lecturer at the Polytechnic, Mabvuto Kapyepye, author and managing director of Mlambe Consulting and Frank Phiri of FD Communications Limited who coordinated the judging exercise.
According to Kanyang’wa, the quality of entries in this year’s competition was very high. He added the new categories of online and best photojournalist were highly competitive and the proliferation of local television meant that they were not dealing with traditional media as usual.
“In the end, we are glad to have separated grain from chaff. We look forward to announcing the winners,” said Kanyan’gwa.
Each category winner is expected to cart home K200 000 (US$430). The categories are best print, best radio, best online, best television and best photo-journalist.
