Joseph won for his long-running investigation into the National Lotteries Commission and its recipients.
The VJOY judging panel is headed by convener Mapi Mhlangu, with judges Jermaine Craig, Ryland Fisher, Arthur Goldstuck, Patricia McCracken, Professor Gilbert Motsaathebe, Collin Nxumalo, Jovial Rantao, Elna Rossouw, Advocate Robin Sewlal, and Obed Zilwa.
The theme for the 2022 Awards was ‘Storytellers’, with judges praising the outstanding calibre of submissions from all nine provinces.
Mhlangu said, “Notable was the work that looked at how journalists, as story tellers, approached big stories and the individual impact they had on their craft and mental well-being. Many of these contributions were fascinating to read or watch and gave the public different and interesting insights into the issues facing our country. Telling and hearing these stories is a big part of what makes us human.”
The VJOY Lifetime Achiever Award went to renowned poet and author Dr Don Mattera, who died in July, aged 86.
The national category winners, who each won R10, 000 are:
- Investigative – Western Cape’s Raymond Joseph of GroundUp for Gaming the Lottery
- Opinion: Gauteng’s Faizel Patel of The Citizen
- Features: KwaZulu-Natal’s Nicky Troll for her Carte Blanche feature piece Tactical Take Down
- Lifestyle: Gauteng’s Charles Leonard of the New Frame Podcast for Who’s the blues for?
- Sport: Gauteng’s Hloni Mtimkulu of eNCA
- Financial and Economics: Gauteng’s Lisa Steyn of the Financial Mail for Inside SA’s Mining Mafia
- Politics: Western Cape’s Athi Mtongana of Newzroom Afrika for FW De Klerk's Death ignites emotions from North Crest Massacre Families
- Sustainability: Western Cape’s Caryn Dolley of DM168 for South Africa’s rare plants are being poached to extinction and the ecological nightmare is only getting worse
- Live reporting/ breaking news: KwaZulu-Natal’s Dasen Thathiah with contributors Nkanyiso Mdlalose, Sandile Makhubela and Susanna Holmes of eNCA for KwaZulu-Natal floods
- Photography: Gauteng’s Shiraaz Mohamed of the Daily Maverick
- Innovation in journalism: Gauteng’s Mamaili Mamaila of The Outlier
- The Young Journalist of the Year Award: Gauteng’s Michelle Banda from Daily Maverick
