The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
2024 Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award opens for entries in South Africa
Since its inception in 1972, the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award has established the platform as the ultimate accolade highlighting female founders and CEO’s globally. Esteemed for honouring female pioneers who embody the spirit of Madame Clicquot, this award has two categories, the Bold Woman Award and the Bold Future Award, which highlight and give visibility to innovative women around the world.
The award’s impact is invaluable, and these Bold women in turn inspire and motivate future generations of female leaders. The South African edition of the 2023 Bold by Veuve Clicquot Barometer reveals that 72% of aspiring women entrepreneurs are inspired by, and can name, a local female role model.
One initiative that sets out to amplify the Bold Programme and fosters global female networking is Veuve Clicquot’s Bold Open Database, a collaborative database catalysing social and economic development. South African women seeking to connect with fellow female entrepreneurs across the globe are invited to register at www.boldopendatabase.com.
To enter the Bold Woman Award, candidates must be founders or CEOs of a company for more than three years, have demonstrated transformation and evolution in their field, and supported growth for at least two years while maintaining an ethical approach to business.
To qualify for the Bold Future Award, candidates must be the founders or CEOs of a company that has been in existence for less than three years. In that time, the candidate must have made a significant contribution to the success of their company by instilling a sense of entrepreneurship and have made a tangible contribution to transformation in an existing market, while bringing ethical change to the company.
Three finalists in each category will be selected by an esteemed jury and will be invited to attend the Bold Woman Award ceremony on 17 July where one laureate in each of the categories will be lauded by a grand jury. The Bold Woman Award winner will travel to Reims, France, for an immersion in the history, tradition, and luxury of Maison Veuve Clicquot.
Entries opened on 18 March and close on 30 April 2024. Business leaders and role models who are ready to be recognised for their remarkable success are invited to enter the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award by completing a simple form via www.veuveclicquot.com.
Call for the public to nominate candidates for Top 16 Youth Owned Brands Awards
The prestigious Top 16 Youth Owned Brands Awards (YOBAs) return for the third consecutive year, and nominations are now open. The YOBAs are calling the public to nominate their favourite and deserving youth-owned brands that exemplify excellence, innovation, and leadership.
In celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation of young individuals across Africa, the YOBAs are dedicated to recognising and celebrating brands that redefine excellence in their respective fields.
Originating from the historic significance of June 16, 1976, the YOBAs pay homage to the youth’s enduring influence, as symbolised by the title ‘Top 16’ – embracing the African Union’s declaration of June 16 as the Day of an African Child.
This year, the awards highlight six lifestyle categories, among a total of 16 categories, each stressing the exceptional contributions of youth-owned brands in various industries.
The six lifestyle categories are:
- Top Apparel Brand
- Top Creative and Arts Brand
- Top Footwear and Accessories Brand
- Top Health and Wellness Brand
- Top Media Brand
- Top Personalities and Influencers Brand
To nominate your favourite brand click here or visit www.top16yoba.africa for more information. Nominations will close on 17 April 2024.
TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris takes home multiple wins for outstanding creativity at Creative Circle Best of 2023 Awards
South African advertising powerhouse TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris excelled at the prestigious Creative Circle Best of 2023 Awards held this evening in Johannesburg. Their innovative and impactful campaigns across categories solidified their position as a leader in the SA advertising scene.
The Creative Circle Awards celebrate the best in creativity, pushing the boundaries for future innovation. TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris stole the show with campaigns like the moving “Silent Choir” for MTN, the dynamic “Big Macnite” collaboration with Nissan and McDonald’s, a series of insightfully relevant Nissan radio ads, and an emotional message of hope with the song “Stronger,” from the late-great Riky Rick for the Riky Rick Foundation.
“These awards are a testament to our team’s dedication over the past year,” says Carl Willoughby, Chief Creative Officer at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris. “Winning in six categories reflects our commitment to impactful work that connects with audiences on a profound level. We’re grateful for the opportunities we have to collaborate with our brave clients and partners – together, we’re pushing boundaries and making waves.”
Creative Circle Best of 2023 Awards wins included:
- For Stronger (Riky Rick Foundation, a first place for Digital Communication; first place for PR & Media; two second places in Design (one for Brand Identity & Collateral Design, the other for Motion & Digital Graphic Design); a second place in the Radio & Audio category; and a second place in the Integrated Category. The campaign that brought Riky Rick’s voice back to life using AI and his social media posts to address mental health and depression, especially among men. The track makes sure that Riky’s voice lives on forever leaving people with his message of hope.
- Silent Choir (MTN) won third place in the PR & Media category. This groundbreaking campaign captivated audiences with its powerful message of inclusivity for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. Partnering with Magna Carta Reputation Management Consultants for PR, it aligned to MTN’s 1 Team, 60 million voices campaign, using strategic insights to deliver a high-impact creative campaign that resonated and broke through in the Rugby World Cup 2023 season.
- Big Macnite (Nissan & McDonald’s) won second place in the Outdoor category. This exciting and unique campaign showcased TBWA’s ability to marry compelling storytelling with innovative media ideas. The out-of-home campaign brought two of TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris’ leading brands for impactful, and entertaining, results.
- Nissan’s What You Mean? won third place in the MZa’Taal category (for work in vernacular languages). This radio campaign highlighted the Nissan Magnite’s voice recognition capabilities with a clever play on words in Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaans, giving new meaning, to “know what I mean?”
The Creative Circle wins underscore TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris’ unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation. By constantly pushing boundaries and challenging norms, the agency inspires positive change within the industry.
“We’re incredibly proud,” concludes Willoughby. “The past year has had some massive challenges. Our focus is the work, and we have to raise the bar with breakthrough local campaigns that resonate globally – we’ll keep pushing!”
Female leaders honoured at 2024 Forbes Woman Africa Awards Gala
The 2024 FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Awards, the capstone event of the ninth FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Leading Women Summit, recently hosted its glitzy red carpet gala dinner to honour the phenomenal women who have deconstructed gender and generational disparities, changed the narrative around the role of women in society, and who have positioned themselves as exemplary beacons for the next generation, equipping them for future leadership positions in various fields.
This year saw three special categories added to the nine existing accolades, namely Media Icon, African Investment Catalyst and Champion of Change awards.
In her closing remarks at the star-studded gala evening, Roberta Naicker, Managing Director of the ABN Group, recalled riveting moments captured during the summit, honoured winners and nominees, and reminded the room that despite challenges, as a collective, society can create a more sustainable and just world for future generations.
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA African Investment Catalyst Award – Clare Akamanzi, CEO, NBA Africa
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Young Achiever Award – Zuriel Oduwole, Global Education Advocate, Filmmaker and Presidential Advisor
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Social Impact Award – Thando Gumede, South African advocate and gender activist
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Technology & Innovation Award – Hilda Moraa, Founder & CEO, Pezesha
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Youth Icon Award – Charlot Magayi, CEO & Founder, Mukuru Clean Stoves
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Academic Excellence Award – Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Associate Scientific Director, CAPRISA
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Sports Award – Desiree Ellis, Head Coach, Banyana Banyana
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Champion of Change Award – Caster Semenya, South African Middle-distance Runner
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Entertainer Award – Nomzamo Mbatha, South African Actress
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Media Icon Award – Connie Ferguson, South African Actress
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Businesswoman Award – Mo Abudu, Nigerian Media Mogul
- FORBES WOMAN AFRICA Lifetime Achievement Award – Graça Machel, Founder, The Graça Machel Trust
SAP Africa Partner Awards recognise excellence in supporting Africa’s digital transformation efforts
SAP has announced the winners of its latest SAP Africa Partner Awards. At a recent event held in the Cape Winelands, the SAP Africa Partner Awards recognised excellence within SAP’s partner ecosystem throughout Africa.
According to Nazia Pillay, head of partner ecosystem, SAP Middle East and Africa: South, the role of partners has become more critical in the wake of changing customer demands and the impact of technologies such as AI.
The latest SAP Africa Partner Awards recognise excellence in six distinct categories, with a strong focus on supporting African enterprises’ efforts at migrating to the cloud. Winners are selected from the broader partner ecosystem and evaluated according to strict criteria.
The winning companies at this year’s SAP Africa Partner Awards include:
- Sol Arch Consulting, winner of the Rising Star category, which considers the number and value of cloud bookings for a new partner onboarded in the past year;
- Epi-Use Africa, winner of the Innovation Award for its packaged solutions and own IP in the SAP app store;
- New Dawn Technologies, winner in the Top Cloud Performance category which considers the value of cloud bookings and number of deals;
- IE Network Solutions and Wragby Business Solutions, joint winners in the Top Capacity Growth category, which considers the percentage increase in certified cloud consultants as well as the amount of training conducted;
- Dimension Data, winner in the Go Lives category which recognises the number of customer go-lives; and
- Microware Solutions in the NNN category, which recognises the number of net-new sales and the value of net-new deals.
- “The winners at this year’s SAP Africa Partner Awards represent the very highest levels of excellence and expertise in supporting the technology ambitions of companies throughout the continent,” says Pillay. “We are proud to work alongside our valued partners as we drive Africa’s digital transformation efforts forward.”