Dar es Salaam. A total of 294 entries submitted by journalists for the second season of the Samia Kalamu Awards have advanced to the public voting stage, with citizens’ votes accounting for 60 percent of the final score.
Voting starts on Thursday, September 3, and will run until September 30, following the completion of the judging process, which accounts for the remaining 40 percent.
The winners are expected to be announced in December, with members of the public voting for journalism works they consider relevant and impactful through the awards’ website or short message service (SMS).
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, September 3, the chairman of the awards, who is also Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) director general Peter Mwasalyanda, said the second season had attracted 3,003 entries from 985 journalists.
He said the figures represented an increase from the previous season, reflecting growing participation in the awards.
The entries covered several areas of public interest, with health emerging as the most prominent category, attracting 279 entries, followed by gender (225), environment (180) and education (150). Land-related reporting attracted three entries.
“These figures reflect the issues that journalists focused on in their reporting and investigations submitted for the awards,” he said.
Mr Mwasalyanda said the judging panel had completed its assessment, which accounts for 40 percent of the final score, while the public vote will determine the remaining 60 percent.
He urged journalists whose works had reached the public voting stage to encourage their audiences to participate.
“The public vote is very important,” he said, adding that citizens had an opportunity to recognise journalism that addresses issues affecting their communities.
He said public participation would also help identify works that reflect citizens’ concerns, interests and development priorities.
Last year, 6,638 members of the public participated in the voting exercise. The organisers hope to surpass that figure this year by attracting more citizens to the process.
Judges praise quality of entries
Chairperson of the judging panel Beatrice Bandawe said the judges had undertaken an extensive assessment of the submissions against established criteria.
She said the exercise showed that Tanzanian journalists had strong professional skills and were capable of producing quality journalism focused on citizens’ development needs.
“The judges discovered that Tanzanian journalists have a high level of professional competence and the ability to produce quality stories that address development issues affecting citizens,” she said.
Ms Bandawe said journalists had also demonstrated an ability to go beyond identifying challenges by exploring possible solutions to problems facing communities.
“The 294 entries will now compete for public support, with the outcome of the voting carrying the largest share in determining the eventual winners,” she said.
The organisers have called on citizens to participate in the exercise and recognise journalism they believe has made a meaningful contribution to society.
