The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards: The fifth edition of South Africa’s first sustainable fashion awards are open for entries

The annual Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards are now open for nominations, with new categories to celebrate five years of honouring South African fashion changemakers.
The Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards celebrate and support emerging and established designers across accessories, footwear and clothing, tastemakers, and activism. Nominations for the Awards close on Friday, 15 September 2023. View the full list of 2023 Twyg Awards categories and entry forms here.
You do not have to submit garments or prepare a portfolio: a Twyg entry form (formulated in collaboration with Eco Standard South Africa) has been created where you can simply fill in the required details for your chosen category. Click here.
This year, there are 10 categories that people can nominate themselves, their brands, or their organisations for:
- Emerging Designer Award (including students)
- Accessory Award
- Footwear Award
- Innovative Design and Materials Award
- Trans-seasonal Award
- Farm-to-fashion Award
- Nicholas Coutts Award
- Social Impact Award
- Retail Award
- Tastemaker Award
The Changemaker will be awarded a cash prize of R100 000.00. The winner of the Nicholas Coutts Award receives R10 000 from Nicholas’ family.
Briefly News wins African Excellence Awards and recognised global news Platform of the Year 2023
Briefly News, a modern South African digital media and news platform, has won African Excellence Awards by MEA Markets, which recognises the most outstanding representatives from every industry on the African continent.
All nominees were estimated according to such criteria as company performance, productivity, quality of products and services, and customer satisfaction rate. Thus, the Briefly News team was named Global News Platform of the Year 2023 in South Africa.
“We’re very proud to get this new feather in our cap. It shows that regardless of being a pretty young media, we have already conquered the market proving ourselves as a reliable news media which highlights only fact checked information and uses high-end technologies to anticipate the desires of our readers,” said Rianette Cluley, Briefly News editor-in-chief
Moving Tactics triumphs at Famous Brands’ Hall of Fame Supplier Awards 2023
Famous Brands recently hosted the Group’s annual Hall of Fame Supplier Awards F2023 at The Empire in Johannesburg, where Moving Tactics, South Africa’s leading digital signage company, received the Famous Brands Technology Supplier of the Year F2023 Consumer Facing Award.
According to Mike Emanuel, consumer technology executive at Famous Brands, “Our suppliers are a critical part of our value chain and our franchisees’ ability to deliver world-class services to consumers, so it makes sense that we honour and thank them by recognising their excellence publicly. Given that we are a 7-day-a-week, 365-day-a-year business, an annual performance award seems fitting.”
Chris Day, MD at Moving Tactics, said they were honoured to be the recipients of this extremely coveted award from Famous Brands. “In the fast-paced and extremely competitive technology environment that we operate in, staying ahead of the pack and on point with new reliable innovation is critical to our success.
“The fact that Famous Brands have placed Moving Tactics at the top of all their suppliers by awarding us the Technology Supplier of the Year F2023 Consumer Facing Award is a great achievement for us and our teams, who have worked on this account for the last decade.”
Samsung Galaxy joins DStv Content Creator Awards as official device partner
Payflex receives global recognition at the Global Payments Innovation Awards 2023
Payflex, South Africa’s buy-now-pay-later provider, has been honoured at the Global Payments Innovation Awards by being awarded the Best eCommerce Payment Initiative, an award that showcases its innovation in the fast-changing world of fintech.
The Global Payments Innovation Awards showcases cutting-edge payment service providers and payment technologies that are transforming the sector.
Tracey-Lee Zurcher, head of marketing at Payflex, said, “Our solutions transcend traditional payment methods, and we have our consumers in mind, giving them convenience and financial flexibility. This award is a testament to our commitment to providing innovative solutions that truly address the evolving needs of consumers and businesses.”
In July 2023, Payflex was acquired by FeverTree Finance, a privately held financial services firm that provides retail credit solutions and private equity funding to businesses in South Africa.
TCL wins three prestigious 2023-2024 EISA Awards
TCL, a global top two TV brand and top one 98-inch TV brand, has announced honours obtained at the EISA Awards. Recognised as Europe’s foremost authority on audio-visual innovation, the Expert Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) has awarded TCL three distinguished awards, recognising TCL’s dedication to pushing the boundaries of display technology.
Submissions open for inaugural Xero Beautiful Business Fund
Xero, the global small business platform, has opened applications for its inaugural Xero Beautiful Business Fund, designed to celebrate small businesses and accelerate their growth. The initiative is now open for submissions with more than R8,000,000 in funding available globally.
Four South African Xero small business customers will each win R250 000, with an additional R545 000 available in each category should a South African winner receive a global prize.
The Xero Beautiful Business Fund is open to Xero small business customers in South Africa, Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, and the US and will recognise companies who are eager to take the next step in various aspects of their business.
Colin Timmis, Country Manager, Xero South Africa said: “I’m constantly inspired by the optimism and ambition of the self-made businesses that are at the heart of the South African economy. However, they often face barriers to growth and access to funding can be a huge hurdle. We are pleased to be able to provide this funding to help small businesses invest in areas where they may not have had the cash to do so.”
There are low barriers to entry, and to apply, Xero small business customers will need to submit a 90-second pitch video and complete a brief written form for as many categories as they want.
For full submission criteria and details, please visit the website. Submissions will close on 6 October 2023. Winners will be announced later this year.