Offered by the South African Free State Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the GCIS Community Media Awards 2008 is designed to honour and give recognition to people working in community media in the Free State in South Africa. The aim of these awards is to raise the standard of local journalism and to encourage objective and ethical reporting within community media. According to the organisers, the Free State has about 20 community newspapers and nine community radio stations. Community media provides a platform for communities to air their views. Government uses community media to inform the public about its programmes which are aimed at improving the lives of communities. Community media can also play a role in monitoring whether government is delivering on its mandate and thus holds government accountable.

The entries should have been published/ broadcast between January 1 and August 30 2008. All works entered should be in one of the eleven official languages. The GCIS Community Media Awards are offered in the following categories:

• Government and general news
• Feature
• Sports news
• Photojournalism: published pictures in newspapers or newsletters with or without written texts
• Overall winner, will be selected among the best in each category
• Special award to a community media (newspaper or radio station) that has contributed to the development of the community. The winner in this category is selected by the judges out of all the community media houses in the Free State.

Click here for more information about the awards.

Deadline for entry: August 30 2008


Entry forms are available from the GCIS Regional Office in Bloemfontein. These should be accompanied by a shoulder length photo of the journalist. In the case of a newspaper entry, a cutting of the original article or certified copy of the original must be submitted. In the case of a radio entry the audio material must be put on CD (as it went out on air) together with a script of the story. Photo entries should be accompanied by a hard copy of the photograph, as well as a cutting of the publication where the photograph was published and the date thereof. Entries must be accompanied by a motivation letter from the entrant giving the background of the story. Each entrant may submit up to three entries per category and in as many categories as they like. All entries must be submitted on the entry form provided by GCIS and entry forms and all accompanying material should be delivered or posted to the contacts below.

Sangonet NGO Pulse newsletter, June 11 2008 and SANGONeT website on June 16 2008.