Wole Soyinka 14th Award for Investigative Reporting 2019

The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) rewards, promotes and encourages best practices in journalism works from the print, radio, television, photo, online, editorial cartoon broad categories as well as from other special categories which focus on themes ranging from regulatory failures, corruption in the public and corporate spheres, and human rights abuses in the country.

The Award was instituted and first held in October 2005 to aid the development of an investigative reporting culture in the Nigerian media. In naming the award after Wole Soyinka, the initiators hoped to bring further attention to Soyinka’s untiring and relentless support for the cause of freedom of expression.

Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting Categories.

• Print
• Radio
• Television
• Photography
• Online
• Editorial cartoon

Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting Eligibility.

The Award is open to any Nigerian professional reporter or team of reporters (full time or freelancers), 18-years and above, who have published stories either online, in print, or through electronic media primarily targeted at and received by a Nigerian audience.

Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting Criteria.

Criteria: 

• The main criterion for eligibility is that the work (single work or single-subject serial) must involve reporting on public, and or corporate corruption, human rights violation, or on the failure of regulatory agencies.
• The story should reflect a high quality of investigation in terms of newsworthiness, capacity to expose or prevent clandestine activities, corruption in the public domain, an understanding of human rights implications enhanced by the quality of delivery/presentation/writing. Such works should have been first published or broadcast in a Nigerian media between 4 October 2018 and 3 October 2019.

An applicant may only submit a maximum of a total of two entries

Print Entries – Newspaper and Magazine:

• Entrants are required to send the original and a CLEAN Photocopy

Broadcast Entries – Radio and Television:

• Transcripts should be written in English language
• Audio entries should be sent in audio CD format, with accompanying script while video entries must be on CD, with accompanying script.
• 2 copies of each entry is required

Photographic Entries:

• In addition to the broad criteria, photo entries will be scored on creativity, impact and technical quality.
• Each entry must be well captioned in English
• It must come with the original photo, a copy of the published work with a clean photocopy of the latter and a CD with the picture(s)

Online Entries: (only entry submissions through the online portal is available)

• Clearly indicated URL (web link) for the published work is required as printouts are unacceptable.
• Screenshots of websites will not be accepted.

Editorial Cartoon:

• In addition to the broad criteria, editorial cartooning will also be scored on impact, creativity and originality.
• An original copy of the published work with clean photocopy are required

Generally:

• Entry is free.
• Only a maximum of two entries across all categories of the award will be allowed per entrant.
• All submitted works must be in English Language.
• The reporter with the most outstanding work(s) amongst the finalists will be selected as the WSCIJ-Nigerian Investigative Reporter of the year.
• Entering for this competition commits you to grant WSCIJ a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free licence to use your works for any purpose deemed appropriate for the development of the award initiative, the Centre and the Nigerian and global media.
• To enhance the development of media in the country, reporters that have been winners in this competition on at least three occasions are ineligible to enter.
• Employees of the WSCIJ and/or their immediate families are ineligible to participate in the competition.
• WSCIJ guarantees that there is no connection between any sponsor and the judging process despite possible sponsorship of some categories of the award.
• The competition shall be covered and interpreted with the laws of Nigeria.

Judging Process:

• A distinguished judges’ board, which comprises respected persons with suitable knowledge, competencies and experience in news media practice, shall adjudge the competition.
• All entries are coded to disguise media house and reporter’s byline using the WSCIJ entry coding system before dispatch to judges
• Judges’ board members can only assess, score or vote on works to which they have no organisational or family ties.
• Due to WSCIJ’s commitment to excellence, it will be in order to have categories without a finalist if the entries in such a category are adjudged to have fallen below expected standard.
• The rigorous eligibility and judging process uphold the integrity and reputation of the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting 2019 competition. The judges reserve the right to disqualify any piece of work and/or finalist if, in the judges’ opinion, there exists reasonable doubt about the authenticity and/or accuracy of the submitted entry and/or the integrity of the finalists based on the set criteria.
• WSCIJ award recipients (Soyinka Laureates, runners-up and commended finalists) are expected to be persons with high ethical and professional standards. The organisation reserves the right to withdraw awards at any point in time based on the misconduct of an award recipient.
• Only entries received by the deadline will be treated.

How to Submit Entries for Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting.

Interested candidates who meet the criteria listed above should send their entries to:

The Centre Coordinator
18A, Abiodun Sobajo Street, 
Off Lateef Jakande Road, 
Agidingbi, Ikeja, 
Lagos State, 
Nigeria.