It is with a sense of heavy-heartedness that the Forum of Community Journalists (FCJ) has to announce that Sanlam has decided to terminate its participation in the annual local media awards. As many local and community journalists in South Africa know, Sanlam has played a huge role in the annual local media awards over the past 24 years.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sanlam for their contribution over the past two decades – thanks to them the competition has grown in stature and is regarded as the most prestigious competition for local media in the country,” says Marita Meyer, chairperson of the FCJ
“The print competition has always been presented under the auspices of the FCJ, so the management committee has decided that the competition will continue, albeit without a main sponsor for now. The FCJ has also decided to rename the competition to The Annual Local Media Excellence Awards,” she says.
The convener of the 2016 Local Media Excellence Awards is Mr Hugo Redelinghuys, the FCJ management committee member for the Garden Route and Eastern Cape. “Hugo was the convener of the competition for many years when he still worked at Sanlam, and with his expertise and experience, the 2016 competition is in the best hands possible. He will be assisted by the rest of the FCJ management committee,” says Meyer.
A panel of judges consisting of experts in the local print media industry will be announced in due course.
The call for entries will be sent during the week of 18 February. Regular updates will be posted on www.fcjonline.co.za.