This year’s nearly 400 entries were judged virtually from the 27 July to 3 August by the judging panel of Dinesh Balliah, Henry Jeffreys, Mike Siluma, Tyrone August, Phindile Xaba, Shona Bagley, Pippa Green, Liesl Louw-Vaudran, Mary Papayya, Ryland Fisher, Neo Ntsoma, Maud Motanyane, Themba Hadebe, Gus Silber and Thabo Leshilo with Lizeka Mda, this year’s convener judge.
Mda says that the virtual judging highlighted just how much work goes into the judging. “Whereas in the past judging has been confined to two days, 8am to 5pm, this time the entries lived with the judges 24/7 literally, over seven days, with each judge participating in at least three categories. It is a lot of work, but kudos to the judges, they did a superb job!”
The awards event will be held virtually on 15 October where the winners will receive R15,000, a trophy and a certificate. The SA Story of the Year, Upcoming/Rising Star of the Year, Journalist of the Year and Allan Kirkland Soga Lifetime Achiever Awards will only be announced on the evening.
| Category 1: Hard News | ||
| Name | Title | Company |
| Ané Van Zyl | “Matie se dood was ‘niemand se skuld’’ | Die Burger |
| Graeme Hosken | “Inside the great Rupert heist” | Sunday Times |
| Jan Bornman & Madelene Cronjé | “Xenophobia” | New Frame |
| Brümilda Swartbooi | “Sy het hard vir ons gewerk” | Worcester Standard |
| Category 2: Columns/Editorial | ||
| Carla Lewis | “Geweld teen vroue: Woorde wat hard slaan” “Wit mense ly ook aan dié siekte” | Beeld |
| Richard Poplak | “Get out – a gutted DA stumbles into the past” | Daily Maverick |
| Sue De Groot | “Spare a thought for poor old ‘liberal’ caught up in the DA crisis” “Why the focus on femicide? Look no further than the reasons women are killed by men they know” “Wouldn’t it be nice if politicians learnt to apply their minds?” | Sunday Times |
| Willemien Brümmer | “Dit, Juffrou Venter, is hoekom jy nie ’n kind klap nie” | Netwerk24 |
| Category 3: Enterprise News | ||
| Greg Arde | “Public toilet shame” | New Frame |
| Susan Comrie | “ANC gambles on Twitter influencers” | Amabhungane |
| Bongekile Macupe | The first “UniZulu students’ accommodation conditions are ‘inhumane’; “Broken teachers, broken children – the high cost of matric” | Mail and Guardian |
| Micah Reddy | “How a South African hunting resort opened a window to a Saudi crown prince’s business empire” | Amabhungane, Financial Mail |
| Category 4: Feature Writing | ||
| Joan Van Dyk | “Cost of Corruption: How a toddler died at Bosasa’s detention centre” | Mail and Guardian |
| Ahmed Kajee & Thomas Holder | “Government or God?” | EWN |
| Athandiwe Saba | “No headstone for Aviwe: the woman a country forgot” | Mail and Guardian |
| Sean Christie | “Judgment Day in Doornfontein” | Sunday Times |
| Shaun Smillie | “Searching for Griffiths Mxenge’s ‘disappeared’ car” | New Frame |
| Willemien Brümmer | “Die treine van die dood” | Netwerk 24 |
| Jacques Myburgh | “Dwaalkoeëls en doodloop strate” | Taalgenoot |
| Category 5: Investigative Journalism | ||
| Micah Reddy & Stefaans Brümmer | “The EFF Rent Racket” | Amabhungane |
| Pauli Van Wyk | “Cruising nicely on VBS Money” | Scorpio, Daily Maverick |
| Jan Vermeulen | “How an inside man stole and sold African Internet resources worth R311 million”. | My Broadband |
| Bongani Fuzile | “The Toilet Scandal” | Daily Dispatch |
| Category 6: Editorial Cartoons | ||
| Carlos Amato | “The Second Coming”; “Cookbooks” | New Frame, Mail and Guardian |
| Bethuel Clifford Mangena | “On My Lane”, “Final Destination” | African News Agency |
| Category 7: Graphic Journalism | ||
| Pieter Van Der Merwe | “Managing SA's Water” | Business Day |
| Isabella Botshilo Maake | “25 Years of Democracy: A Timeline” | City Press |
| John Mccann | Body of Work | Mail and Guardian |
| Category 8: Popular Journalism | ||
| Mampuru Meta Mphahlele | “Two ministers and a fed-up slay queen” | Sunday World |
| Category 9: News Photographs | ||
| Deaan Vivier | “Nicholas Ninow” | Beeld |
| Brendan Magaar | “Refugees clashes with police” | Weekend Argus |
| Alaister Russell | “Mmusi Maimane Resigns” | Sowetan |
| Jacques Nelles | “UNHCR Refugees” | The Citizen |
| David Ritchie | “Springboks rock proud Mother City” | Cape Times |
| Category 10: Feature Photographs | ||
| David Ritchie | “Sad plight of refugees in SA” | Cape Times |
| Ayanda Ndamane | “In Safe Arms” | Weekend Argus |
| Alon Skuy | “Musa’s Struggle and Search for the Stage”, “Chaos The Lion” | Sunday Times |
| Alaister Russell | “Cyclone Idai; First Response” | Sunday Times |
| Category 11: Sports Photographs | ||
| Jaco Marais | “Bird’s-eye”, “Circle of Excellence” | Rapport |
| Ettienne Van Rensburg | “Dedication” | Vaalweekblad |
| Phandulwazi Jikelo | “Siya Kolisi” | Cape Times |
| Category 12: Presentation | ||
| Vernon Janse Van Rensburg | “Die Stempel is wat tel” | Beeld |
| Johnn Grant-Munro | “Rugby World Cup joy!” | Die Burger |
| Theuns Kruger | “Inmate Zuma” | Rapport |
| Category 13: Multiplatform Stories | ||
| Athandiwe Saba, Jacques Coetzee | “Censored”, “State of Violence” | Mail and Guardian |
| Jana Marx, Thinus Dippennar, Maryke Cumpsty, Carolien Saayman, Jaco Grobbelaar | “Bloedspoor deur Krugersdorp” | Netwerk24 |
| Dennis Webster, Madelene Cronjé & Ryan Honeyball | "Seven lean years in the Northern Cape” | New Frame |
| Category 14: Lifestyle | ||
| Mbali Sikakana | “The fraternity of lived genius”. | Mail and Guardian |
| Phumlani Sithebe | “SA’s Codeine Love Affair”, “Let’s talk about period sex”, “Where does your trash end up?” | City Press |
| Carla Lewis | “Geld soos bossies in dagga”, “Klinknaelbroek vir ’n koninklike” | Beeld |
| Elmari Rautenbach | “Hierdie boek het my byna doodgemaak”, “Hoop in die hel” | Rapport Weekliks |
