Cape journalists score in Sanlam Community Press Awards

The prize-giving of the Sanlam Community Press Awards was held on 29 September with around 250 specially invited guests from the media fraternity in attendance. This year's event attracted a total of 900 individual entries from 302 journalists/photographers, with 155 community newspapers taking part.

Best achiever

The best achiever was Graeson Haw of Cape Community Newspapers, part of the countrywide Independent Group. Haw won a total of four categories - a record by an individual journalist since the competition's inception 15 years ago.

Apart from first places in the categories of Journalist of the Year, Hard News, Investigative Journalism and Headings, Haw walked off with second place in the Human Interest category, the category that traditionally attracts the most entries. He was pipped at the post by his colleague Pam Fourie in this category.

Carina Roux of TygerBurger was crowned Press Photographer of the Year. She won three of the four photography prizes: Best Portfolio, Sport and Portraits (faces). All her photos reached the top ten list of each of the four categories.

The Cronwright Trophy for newspapers with a circulation of above 10 000 was won by the District Mail from Somerset West. Potchefstroom Herald clinched the Hultzer Trophy for newspapers with a circulation of under 10 000.

Other winners

The other important prize-winners were:

• Liesel le Roux of the Hoorn in Oudtshoorn (Editorial Comment)
  
• Anneli Erasmus of Erongo in Swakopmund, Namibia (Columns)
  
• Susan Mare from Vrystaat in Bethlehem (Personal Finances) and
  
• Fuad Esack from the Plainsman in Mitchell's Plain (Sport, for the second consecutive year).
  
• Clayton Barnes of MetroBurger (the best newcomer) received the Alet Roux Medal
  
• Bongani Hans from Echo in Pietermaritzburg received a special mention from the judges for his superb series of articles on muti murders in KwaZulu-Natal.

Sanlam media relations manager Hugo Redelinghuys says that the aim of the competition is to encourage quality journalism at community press level and to reward those who excel.

"If one bears in mind that this year saw us and the Forum for Community Journalists cutting down drastically on categories, the enthusiastic participation of editors, journalists and photographers was a clear indication that the prestige value of this competition is increasing every year."

Most pleasing

He says the most pleasing aspect is the strong rise in entries from previously disadvantaged communities.

"More and more upcoming publishers are getting involved and many are giving the more established players a run for their money. This augurs well for the future of the competition in particular, and for journalism in general. This seed capital that Sanlam invested a few years ago is now bearing dividends."

The competition is reported to be the biggest of the 32 newspaper competitions held annually in South Africa.