Galliova Awards: Excellence in food and health media

The Galliova Awards celebrate excellence in food and health media in South Africa. The winners are (from left to right) (seated): Clement Pedro, Asanda Mbayimbayi, Sam Linsell, Lichelle May (back), Liezl Vermeulen, Christi Nortier, and Herman Lensing (Image supplied)

Anna Trapido, a well-known figure in South African food writing, took second place.

Now in its 36th year, the Galliova Awards continue to celebrate the people behind South Africa’s vibrant food and health content, while recognising their role in promoting local poultry and food culture.

The awards traditionally take place in the week following World Egg Day, celebrated globally each year on the second Friday of October.
The event was held at Clara’s Barn on the Vergenoegd Löw Wine Estate in Cape Town.

The awards are sponsored by the Egg and Broiler Producers of the South African Poultry Association (SAPA).

Colin Steenhuisen, chairman of the Egg Board and Breed Society, and vice chairman of the SAPA Board handed out the awards.

All the winners

In a newly expanded category that now includes social media influencers, the Galliova Health Content Creator Award was won by first-time entrant and registered dietitian Claire Julsing Strydom. Multiple Galliova winner Lydia van der Merwe was awarded second place.

The Galliova Food Content Creator category was also opened up to social media influencers this year, and the judges found themselves unable to choose between the top two contenders.

In the end, it was decided that both Herman Lensing and Sam Linsell would share first place.

This year’s Galliova Egg Champion was Liezl Vermeulen, with Herman Lensing once again in the spotlight, earning second place.

The Galliova Chicken Champion Award went to Clement Pedro, with food social media influencer Thilivhali “Mash” Mugwena coming in second.

A brand-new category, the Galliova People’s Hero, was created to highlight food content creators whose content focused on affordable chicken and egg meals.

The winners were both social media foodies: Asanda Mbayimbayi took first place, and Denzhe Makungo followed in second.

The Up-and-Coming Content Creator category made a return this year.

Open to entrants who had entered the Galliova Awards fewer than three times, the award was given to Lichelle May, who made her debut this year.

Adding a bit of fun to the awards, the Galliova Discretionary Delights were introduced as optional awards given to entrants who stood out in unique ways.

Four were handed out to worthy winners.

Georgia East was recognised for her beautiful food videos, Esther Malan for providing perfectly relevant content for her magazine’s audience, Sinoyolo Sifo for his authenticity and one-of-a-kind approach, and Palesa Sauhatsi for making chicken feet meals look truly appetising.

This year’s judging panel included Marco Torsius, Tarryn Fowler, Prof. Corinna Walsh, Dr. Monique Piderit, Barbara Joubert, Margie Burger and Justine Drake.