Now in its 10th year, the African Fact-Checking Awards is the longest-running awards programme celebrating fact-checking journalism in the African media.
Entries for the 2023 awards are now open to journalists, journalism students, and professional fact-checkers. In 2022, we received 190 entries from 24 African countries. We anticipate even more in 2023.
“The African Fact-Checking Awards are not just a celebration of excellence in fact-checking, they are a vital instrument for promoting fact-checking in Africa. By recognising and rewarding those who work hard in the pursuit of accuracy these awards encourage others to follow in their footsteps and uphold the highest standards of fact-checking. In this way, the African Fact-Checking Awards help to build a culture of fact-checking in Africa, where access to verified information can be a challenge” says Dudu Mkhize, Africa Check’s Head of Outreach.
She adds: “Fact-checking continues to play a crucial role in strengthening democracy, enabling the public to make more informed decisions and holding those in power to account. It is by providing access to accurate and credible information that we will build more resilient societies.”
Jonas Nyabor, the 2022 winner in the Fact-Check of the Year by a Professional Fact-Checker category, says: “Most of us make important decisions based on information we find in the digital media space. Unfortunately, the likelihood of this information being false is high due to how highly democratised this space is. This is why we need the skill of fact-checking, to separate truth from falsehood and make informed decisions.”
He adds: “The African Fact-Checking Awards is a good platform to showcase the phenomenal work being done across the continent to sanitise the information ecosystem while celebrating those who have dedicated themselves to this challenging task.”
To qualify, entries must have been first published or broadcast in the period between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. The fact-check should conclude that a claim about an important topic, originating in or relevant to Africa, is either misleading or false.
The awards have three categories, with one winner and one runner-up in each. The categories are:
- Fact-Check of the Year by a Working Journalist
- Fact-Check of the Year by a Professional Fact-Checker
- Fact-Check of the Year by a Student Journalist
The winners of the working journalist and professional fact-checker categories will each receive US$3,000. Runners-up will receive $1,500. For the student journalist category, the winner will receive$2,000, and the runner-up $1,000.
Entries close at midnight GMT on 30 June 2023. For more information, and the terms and conditions, please visit the Africa Check awards page.
For media enquiries, please contact Dudu Mkhize at [email protected].
Africa Check is a non-profit organisation set up in 2012 to promote accuracy in public debate and the media in Africa. The goal of our work is to raise the quality of information available to society across the continent.
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