The awards, which recognise excellence in business journalism in Africa, will be launched in Kampala today, Monday 24 January 2011, for the first time. "We are holding this event to celebrate the launch of the Diageo Africa Business Reporting Awards 2011," said Sandor Walusimbi the corporate relations director, Uganda Breweries Limited another Diageo company on Wednesday, 19 January.
At the event, Diageo is expected to unveil the DABRA guidelines to Ugandan journalists who are interested in participating in the awards. Preliminary information on the DABRA website indicates that to qualify for the awards, all submissions must have been published or broadcast in the period 18 April 2010 - 20 March 2011.
The organiser expects submissions from mainstream and new media categories and they must reach the secretariat by 21 March 2011. Print submissions are expected to be no more than 5,000 words while broadcast stories must be less or equal to one hour each. A total of 11 categories including Journalist of the Year will be opened to participants.
Last year, Peter Guest, a journalist at This is Africa, UK scooped the Journalist of the Year Award at the edition that attracted 700 entries from 25 countries. Ugandan journalist Francis Kagolo, at the New Vision took home the Best Agribusiness/ Environment Feature award. The winners received a bronze statue titled "News" by the sculptor Loni Kreuder and a cheque for £500.
The DABRA were launched in 2004, to recognise journalists and editors who provide high quality coverage of the business environment in Africa. "The awards recognise the fact that more and better business journalism plays an important role in Africa's investment flows. We believe that better and more accurate reporting generates more business interest on the continent," Diageo says on the awards website.
The panel of judges often looks out for stories that demonstrate groundbreaking journalism that provides excellent insight, analysis and clarity of the business climate in Africa, investigative reports, and balanced presentation of the issues involved.
"This year the high-profile judging panel will be looking for journalists demonstrating integrity and a true commitment to reporting that does not sensationalise stories or individuals," Walusimbi said in a statement to the media in Uganda.
The awards will be launched three days to the deadline (27 January 2010) for submissions for the 2011 CNN Africa Journalist of the Year Awards. The awards will recognise excellence in 16 categories in African journalism including; Economics and Business, Arts and Culture, HIV/AIDS, Tourism, Sport and Digital Journalism, among others. The winners of the awards will be announced at a gala ceremony to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in June 2011.
