Awards Wrap: Sea Monster wins global content marketing award, MAA entries open, Rapelang Ntamu the winner of the Jozi Film Festival

The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media industry.

SA mobile game designer takes prestigious global Content Marketing Award

South African innovation got a global nod of approval last week when Cape Town-based Sea Monster Entertainment – an animation, augmented reality and gaming studio – beat top global contenders to take the win in the Data & Insight category at the prestigious International Content Marketing awards in the United Kingdom.

The award recognised Sea Monster for the design and implementation of the Livin’ it Up financial education mobile game, designed for Capitec Bank, the third most valuable bank brand in the world.

Over the past decade, the International Content Marketing Awards have become the gold standard for the content marketing industry, with companies from over 25 countries competing for recognition in 2020. The awards are run by the Content Marketing Association (CMA), a UK-based not-for-profit association that aims to grow and promote the global content industry.

“We’re humbled by the award, not only because of the huge competition we were up against, including many European heavyweights, but because we won this for the best use of data and insights, which is becoming such a critical element of modern marketing,” said Glenn Gillis, CEO of Sea Monster.

“We’re also extremely proud that, once again, South African innovation has been acknowledged in this way internationally. It seriously places what we can achieve here on the global map, and shows that our home-grown solutions can compete with the best in the world.”

Nominations open for MAA Leadership Awards

The Marketing Achievement Awards has introduced three Leadership Awards to its catalogue of accolades. These include the Rising Star of the Year Award, the Marketing Organisation of the Year Award, and the Marketer of the Year Award.

Entries have now opened for the MAA Awards 2021. The Awards celebrate those who have risen to the challenge and exhibited true excellence in the science and art of strategic marketing. These are the only awards for marketers, by marketers, celebrating marketing.

“We are so pleased to create the opportunity to honour marketers and organisations for their work, raise the marketing industry’s profile, and build the MAA into the continent’s most prestigious and sought-after awards programme, even in the face of the effects of the global health crisis,” said Mohale Ralebitso, Chairperson of Marketing Awards Council (MAC).

The entry process is simple and explained in more detail on the Marketing Achievement Awards website. Please visit to enter before the 31 January 2021.

The MAA is also looking to celebrate the marketing game-changers; the individuals and organisations with big ideas that have been excellently executed on a large scale. To this end, the MAA presents the Marketer of the Year Award and the Marketing Organisation of the Year Award.

Local talent shines as young film makers tell stories of our most vulnerable

Talented young South African filmmaker, Rapelang Ntamu, has been announced as the winner of the Jozi Film Festival (JFF), Save the Children South Africa, and Discovery RISE 2020 filmmakers competition.

The competition called on young filmmakers to submit their rationale for participation along with examples of their works for the chance to tell the incredibly impactful stories of some of South Africa’s most vulnerable youths.

Ntamu’s film, Learning to Teach, tells the story of Nthabiseng, a student teacher who joined the Save the Children South Africa District Based Recruitment Strategy (DBTRS) Project in Qwa-Qwa, Free State. The project takes student teachers from various universities to test and apply differential teacher training in the district. The aim: to keep teachers informed, prepared to handle their classrooms and employed in the same district. A win-win for learners and teachers. Ntamu received the grand prize of a Canon professional camera worth approximately R50 000.

“Thank you to everyone who contributed to making the film. I really appreciate all the support the film got from the beginning to the last day of voting. Any new project comes with its own challenges but being able to commit and overcome those challenges is what makes winning worth a while,” he said.

“RISE is a global initiative focused on Reducing Inequality and Supporting Empowerment around the world, and our partnership with Save the Children in South Africa provides the network necessary to fight for children’s rights using tools to tell the stories of those who cannot for themselves”, saids Setshwano Setshogo, Insights and Marketing Services Manager at Discovery Inc.

Hollard celebrates the hidden figures of Mzansi’s Sport Industry

Event of Competition Sponsorship award announced and Levergy wins during the Hollard Sport Industry Awards.(Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

The Hollard Insurance Group, well known for taking the path less travelled, has done so once again with its approach to the 2020 Sport Industry Awards.

“We recognised the need to do things differently this year,” said Heidi Brauer, Hollard’s chief marketing officer. “While we don’t like the term ‘new normal’, it is important to recognise that it has been a rough year and the world is not the same as it was when we last presented these awards 372 days ago”.

Co-hosted by celebrated local star sports presenter, Motshidisi Mohono, and comedian S’ne Dladla, Awards were presented in 10 categories. Michael Johnson, the only man to ever win the 200m and 400m at a single Olympic Games and once dubbed “the fastest man in the world”, joined proceedings from the United States, and was interviewed by Mohono.

The winners

Campaign of the Year – Levergy – Nedbank Cup: Play your part
Digital Platform of the Year – Levergy: Supersport Twitter
Social and Environmental Impact Award – Tennis South Africa: Rising Star Tennis
Event or Competition Sponsorship Award – Levergy: Nedbank Runified
Communications Award of the Year – Rand Merchant Bank: RMB Story of Courage
Fan Engagement Award – Absa Cape Epic
Social Media Campaign of the Year – BrandInc Sports: Toyota eSports Challenge -=– Fifa
AV Content of the Year – Rand Merchant Bank: RMB Story of Courage
Young Agency of the Year – Retroviral
Agency of the Year – Levergy

Special Awards

Leadership in Sport Business” Award: Rassie Erasmus
Sportperson’s Lifetime Community Award: Desiree Ellis
Sports Personality of the Year Award: Siya Kolisi
Sport Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr Irvin Khoza

Levergy wins Agency of the Year at Hollard Sports Awards

Global sport and entertainment sponsorship agency, Levergy, has once again walked away with the sought-after Gallo Agency of the Year Award at the Hollard Sport Industry Awards for the second year running.

Levergy co-founder and director Struan Campbell said the secret of the agency’s success was a “. ..combination of a relentless culture of creativity and innovation within the agency, coupled with an environment that everyone wants to be a part of. We work incredibly hard at attracting and retaining the best talent in the industry”.

He said winning the award was a “wonderful morale booster after a long year. You could see by the reactions in the live video cross-overs during the virtual ceremony what it meant to everyone. In a way there’s also a sense of relief, having put so much out there during the period and believing it was a landmark year for Levergy. We’re very proud and humbled of pulling it off, especially against such strong competition who have also produced some superb work during the period – so a big shout out to everyone that was nominated”.

Levergy also won the Campaign of the Year for Nedbank Cup Play Your Part, Worldwide Sport Digital Platform of the Year for SuperSport Twitter and the SuperSport Event or Competition Sponsorship Award Event for Nedbank Runified.

GQ Men of the Year awards winners

The second GQ Men of The Year Awards (MOTY) took place on 12 December 2020. GQ South Africa and Hennessy VSOP Privilège celebrated the best talent from South Africa and the rest of Africa.

1. Entertainer of the Year: Elsa Majimbo
2. Musician of the Year: Master KG
3. Humanitarian of the Year: Ladles of Love
4. Man of Today: Kabelo Mabalane
5. Man of Today: Peteni Kuzwayo
6. Editor’s Award: Dr Esther Mahlangu
7. Designer of the Year: Thebe Magugu
8. Woman of the Year: Bonang Matheba
9. Innovator of the Year: Ahren Posthumus
10. Activist of the Year: The ManKind Project

Kaizer Chiefs’ founder and businessman Kaizer Motaung was awarded the Hennessy V.S.O.P Privilège Lifetime Achievement Award.

The winners of the South African Comedy Awards

The 2020 edition of the South African Comedy Awards (SACA) was a ground-breaking event. The awards saw the hard work and outstanding performances of various comedy stars being honoured and awarded at the Soweto Theatre. The opening of the awards were marked by two remarkable moments; a welcoming speech by legendary comedian, Joe Parker and a thumbs up from international comedian, Trevor Noah.

The 2020 SACAs saw comedy greats, Trevor Noah, Riaad Moosa and Loyiso Gola, battle it out for the Top International Comedian award. Tensions were high, with the three comedians being among the top winners at the previous awards. The joke was definitely on the trio this evening, as Tumi Morake took the shine for this category.