SFA Foundation launches inaugural Africa Science Journalism Awards

By Wallace Mawire

The Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) is launching the inaugural Africa Science Journalism Awards (ASJA) to uplift credible health, science and development reporting.

According to the Foundation, the awards recognise and honour excellent reporting on science and innovation in Africa and also aim to improve and increase coverage of science on the continent.

The ASJA is a project of the SFA Foundation implemented with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The ASJA will be given to African journalists whose stories cover the SFA Foundation’s thematic focus areas of health, climate change and environment, and agriculture.

The awards include a category for scientists so to uplift credible science voices to eliminate misinformation and disinformation that sometimes characterises conversations on science particularly on social media.

It is also added that preceding the announcement of the awards will be a science journalism workshop that will be attended by those shortlisted for the prize and science editors.

Two of the prize winners will also be given an opportunity to spend three  days to a week at a partner institution meeting scientists to gain in-depth knowledge about a specific science subject at a partner academic or research institution within their country or regionally.

The Foundation added that ASJA seeks to establish an annual award that recognises excellence in science journalism,contribute to the pool of science journalists in the continent and to build the capacity of African science journalists through workshops and site visits that enable them to gain in-depth knowledge about a specific science subject.

Applicants will be allowed to submit the prescribed number of entries per category of stories published between January 2022 to  30 August 2023.

All categories are open to African journalists who write for local or global print, broadcast and online media outlets,Editors must only be for African publications and applications must focus on the thematic focus areas of the SFA Foundation, which are health, climate and environment and agriculture, according to an SFA Foundation statement.