New judge for Citadel journ awards

“We are delighted that Mr Kotch has agreed to be a judge for the 2008 awards. His vast experience in journalism and background in training will be of significant value to the award. His participation will bring fresh perspectives in support of the exceptional skill and judgement of the other members of the panel when South Africa's leading personal finance and investment journalists are selected this year,” says Keith Betty, CEO of Citadel and Peregrine.

“The changes made to the award last year are likely to attract new entrants and should offer excitement to those who entered previously. In terms of the new award rules, entrants will compete on content and not media type as before,” Betty said.

A former Africa Bureau Chief for Reuters, Kotch will work with the judging panel of the 2007 award – Prem Govender, chairperson of the Financial Planning Institute (FPI); John Arnesen, CE of the FPI; and Robert Brand of the Pearson Chair for Economics Journalism at Rhodes University.

Kotch is a media consultant, journalism trainer and correspondent based in South Africa. He is Africa consultant for the Reuters Foundation and a media consultant for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in southern Africa. He is a regular contributor for The Observer in London and BBC Scotland.

The closing date for entries for the 2008 awards has been extended until Thursday, 31 January 2008. Details of the new categories, prize money and entry forms are available in the ‘Press Room' at www.citadel.co.za.

Bruce Cameron, editor of Personal Finance, was the overall winner of the 2007 Citadel Words on Money Award. Bruce Whitfield was the winner of the print category for features written for Finweek, while Steven Jones won the electronic category for features published on Moneyweb.co.za.