Mondi Paper Magazine Awards take a stand ''against mediaocrity''

With a total of R150,000 in prize money in 15 categories, the awards, sponsored by Mondi Paper in conjunction with the Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa (MPASA), seek to recognise and reward outstanding, groundbreaking, and thought-provoking work in a wide variety of fields.

"Print media are having to work harder and harder to compete for attention in the digital age," says Gus Silber, journalist and convenor of the judging panel. "What we'll be looking for is work that leaps from the page, captures our imagination, stirs, provokes or entertains us, and leaves us with no doubt that nothing can beat the power of hard copy for immediate impact and lasting effect."

With this in mind, the Mondi Paper Magazine Awards are making a clear stand "Against Mediaocrity", as the Call for Entries booklet puts it, and for vigour, originality, and brilliance in magazine writing, reporting, photography, illustration and design.

The stakes will be higher than ever this year, with prize money in each category up from R8,000 to R10,000. In addition to the cash prize, winners in each category will be presented with a golden Mondi nib trophy and a framed certificate, while finalists will receive a framed certificate.

Joining Silber on the judging panel for the 2003 Awards are fashion guru Dion Chang, Madam & Eve co-creator Rico Schacherl, journalist and critic Darryl Accone, Institute for the Advancement of Journalism executive director Jacob Ntshangase, Sunday Independent chief photographer TJ Lemon, e-tv Business Deputy Editor Benedicta Dube, award-winning business journalist Ferial Haffajee, communications consultant and editor Anna Boshoff, critic and author De Waal Venter, and multiple Mondi-winners Sue Grant-Marshall and Joe Khumalo.

Writers, critics, columnists, photographers, designers and layout artists are invited to submit entries, published during 2003, in the following 15 categories: Business, Industry, Health and Wellness, Beauty, At Home, Reviews, Essays and Fiction, Foresight, Leisure, Fashion, Design and Illustration, Photography, Columns, Reportage and Features.

MPASA chairman Gisele Wertheim-Aymes says, "The South African magazine industry is extremely active with over 1,000 titles published monthly. In the past three years, there have been more new product launches than the entire decade preceding 1996. Given the highly competitive nature of the industry, the standard of magazine publishing has shown continuous improvement and quality benchmarks are raised higher with every new launch into the market."

"The core to any magazine's success is a strong bond with the reader which results in loyalty and repeat purchase, which in turn delivers the necessary advertising support. This bond is created through the commitment to editorial integrity and responding appropriately to reader needs. This can only be achieved by ensuring that the magazine industry recruits and trains excellent, diverse talent to our industry and that we continually motivate them to produce great work," she continues.

She adds that industry awards are an excellent motivating factor as well as recognition of this success. "Winning a Mondi Journalism Award, is far more challenging these days than every before and is coveted recognition for those journalists whose work stands above the rest," notes Wertheim-Aymes.

The winners of the 2003 Mondi Paper Magazine Awards will be announced at an exclusive awards evening on Wednesday May 19, 2004 at the Sandton Hilton.

The closing date for entries is February 20, 2004. Entries must be addressed to Nikki Ruttimann, Print Media S.A., 5th Floor, North Wing, Nedbank Gardens, 33 Bath Avenue, Rosebank. For further information or a Call for Entries booklet, please contact Nikki on (011) 721 3200 or nikkir[a]printmedia.org.za, or download it from Mondi Paper's website www.mondipaper.co.za.