Sanlam and the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), who are co-sponsors and organisers of the Awards, have announced that the judges for both the broadcast and print sections of the competition have concluded their work. Says the CEO of the MDDA, Mr Lumko Mtimde: "We are grateful to the incredible team of judges who generously spent days going through over 500 entries to identify the best among the best. We are satisfied that the process was thorough and fair and we commend the hundreds of journalists and media workers who took their time to participate and make this competition challenging and exciting."
This is the third year that the joint MDDA-Sanlam Local Media Awards are presented. The Awards celebrate and promote excellence in local/community media, bringing more than 22 years of Sanlam Community Newspaper Awards and four years of SABC News/MDDA Community Media Awards into one big event.
Says Sanlam Group Head of Communication, Mr Ainsley Moos: "Our sights are now on presenting the awards. We look forward to an event at which we will reflect on industry issues, celebrate the winners and encourage their peers to participate and do even better next year."
Executive chairman of Sekunjanlo, Dr Iqbal Survé, who is making a significant investment in the media sector, will be the guest speaker at the awards presentation. Finalists and winners have been invited to the event as well as industry partners and stakeholders. Sanlam and the MDDA concur that the awards have grown over the years and there is an increasing demand from various stakeholders to attend the event. However, it is not possible to accommodate everyone within the confines of available financial resources.
"We rely on the media houses to support us with travel and accommodation for the finalists and winners to be there in person to receive their awards. We have also secured some category sponsors to ensure that we can continue to offer prizes, albeit modest, to our winners," concludes Moos.
