The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
MOST Awards postponed to deliver a new-look event in 2025
The annual MOST Awards will be postponed for 2024, as the organisers embark on a strategy to enhance the event and deliver a new-look return in 2025.
The MOST Awards have since 2010 recognised and celebrated sales performance excellence in the media industry, growing to become a calendar highlight that sets the benchmark for all media owners, media agencies and professionals to strive towards.
“The decision to pause the 2024 edition is a strategic one as we work to enhance the relevance of the Awards by delving deeper into industry trends, to deliver a future event that will be richer and more impactful than ever before,” says Lyndon Barends, managing director of Arena Holdings, which owns the MOST Awards.
He added, “We are crafting an experience that not only honours excellence but also pushes the boundaries of innovation and collaboration in the media industry. Next year will see a re-charged MOST Awards that will continue to set the gold standard for industry excellence.”
Palestinian AFP photographer Mahmud Hams wins Visa d’Or News Award
Palestinian AFP photojournalist Mahmud Hams was awarded the Visa d’Or News prize on Saturday for his coverage of the conflict in Gaza. The prize, one of the most prestigious in the field of photojournalism, is supported by the Visa pour l’Image Association – Perpignan.
Amidst the bombings, with death ever-present and the constant fear of being targeted, Mahmud Hams, who has worked for AFP for over two decades in the Palestinian territories, has relentlessly continued to document the war ignited by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
“I spent my childhood in Gaza, and in 23 years of photojournalism, I have witnessed every war, every conflict there. But this war is unlike any other, without precedent from the very first day,” says Hams. “My colleagues and I have had to face incredibly difficult conditions, with no red lines and no protections for anyone. There were even attacks targeting journalists’ offices, which are supposed to be off-limits in times of war.”
“Many journalists have been killed; others wounded. I’ve also lost friends and loved ones. We struggled to keep our families safe,” he explains. “Yet, despite the ever-present danger, I continued to cover the conflict because it is my duty, the one I chose when I embraced the profession of journalism.
“I stayed calm, for my family, and to carry out my mission until the very last moment,” says Hams, who left Gaza with his family in February. “I hope the photos we take show the world that this war, and the suffering, must end,” he adds.
- Mzansi Magic’s Shaka iLembe – the most nominated content overall: Set in the 1700s, Shaka Ilembe tells the story of the heroic rise of the iconic Zulu king, played as an adult by Lemogang Tsipa and a boy by newcomer Ntando Zondi.
- Showmax Original Outlaws – the joint most-nominated telenovela with The River: Set in the lush but lawless land on the border between Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal, Outlaws is the story of two families at war with each other: the Zulu, cattle-farming Biyela clan and the Basotho, cattle-raiding Ts’eoles.
- Picture Tree’s twisty and twisted Showmax Original DAM S2, which is up for six SAFTAs
- Empreinte Digitale’s extreme motorsports drama Spinners, which is up for three SAFTAs
- Tshedza’s bromance Adulting, which is nominated for three SAFTAs.
- Quizzical Pictures’ medical drama Hartklop, which is up for three SAFTAS for kykNET.
- Homebrew Films’ cheerleader drama Trompoppie, which is up for two SAFTAs for Showmax.
- Nagvlug Films’ church market drama series for kykNET, Mooiweer en Warm, which is up for Best Cinematography (Pieter Bezuidenhout).
Calling all South African brands to celebrate excellence with the brand new SA Customer Experience Awards
The world-renowned **International Customer Experience Awards UK (ICXA™) has announced the launch of the South Africa Customer Experience Awards (SACXA), a groundbreaking initiative set to recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in customer experience (CX) across various industries in South Africa.
“While customer experience is at the heart of business success and ranked as high priority on the corporate strategy agenda, we encourage all organisations, regardless of size or industry, to take advantage of this extraordinary platform to make known, showcase and celebrate their achievements in the customer experience arena,” says Lynn Baker, CEO of the SACXA.
The South Africa Customer Experience Awards is poised to shine a spotlight on the organisations and professionals who are leading the way to demonstrate their innovative approaches and dedication to customer satisfaction.
The SA Customer Experience Awards is designed to recognise companies and their employees who have made significant contributions to the field of customer experience. With categories including Best CX Strategy, Best Customer-Centric Culture, Best Loyalty & Rewards Program, Best Use of Measurement & Feedback in CX, Best Use of Technology in CX, Best Contact Centre and many more, we are celebrating excellence throughout the entire customer experience ecosystem.
Entries for the South Africa Customer Experience Awards are now open, and organisations are invited to submit their applications through the official SACXA™ website www.saxca.co.za. The deadline for entries is 31 October 2024, and the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony scheduled for 12 February 2025.
The PRISMS Awards welcomes the ten young voices selected for 2024
“This initiative, now in its 7th year, is an important part of sustainability, mentoring and development for the next generation of PRISMS judges,” said Paul Reynell, chief judge of the PRISMS Awards 2024. “Congratulations to all the selected young voices and I am excited about working with you going forward.”
The diverse group, made up of students and young professionals, was carefully selected by the PRISMS Young Voices committee from applications received.
Congratulations to:
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Yonela Mbalo, creative and communications assistant at Warner Music Africa, Johannesburg
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Mikateko Maswanganyi, account manager at Nerd Narrative, Johannesburg
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Angel Xakeka, senior account executive at Magna Carta, Cape Town
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Thapelo Neftaly Chabalala, third-year student at the University of Johannesburg,
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Gudani Musinyali, recent bachelor of arts communication graduate from the North-West University
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Mahudi Tselana, public relations intern at Duma Collective, Johannesburg
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Gertrude Nkemeleng Molaba, final year public relations student at Pretoria University
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Sinothando Malangeni, senior account manager at Dialogue Cape Town
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Vanya Singh, junior project manager at Alkemi Collective, Cape Town
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Kaylin Van Der Vent, junior account executive at Paddington Station PR, Cape Town
“I am very excited to be embarking on this journey with these young voices,” said Ayanda Siswana, PRISMS Committee Lead of the 2024 Young Voices Programme. “I loved my young voices experience, and hope that the learnings, growth and development that the team will be exposed to will stand them in good stead as they progress in their PR careers. I also thank the experienced judges who have freely given of their time for mentorship and development this year.”
Top marketers to vie for sought after African Marketing Confederation awards
The African Marketing Confederation (AMC) is set to award top marketers who have developed and executed innovative campaigns that really engaged with target audiences, resulting in people acting on the message and a positive outcome for the client.
The sought-after awards will be celebrated at the AMC’s third annual conference, which will be held in Kenya’s historic trading hub and travel destination thanks to its pristine beaches, Mombasa, between 25 and 27 September 2024.
“It’s no coincidence that one of our categories, given the location of our conference, is the Tourism & Destination Marketing Campaign of the Year,” says Helen McIntee, AMC President. She adds that this category recognises the most outstanding marketing campaign within the tourism and destination marketing sector.
“The winning campaign will have had to demonstrate exceptional creativity in promoting travel, tourism, and hospitality services, significantly impacting the brand’s visibility and business outcomes. The campaign should effectively engage target audiences, inspire action, and contribute to the growth in the number and value of travellers to the destination,” says McIntee.
“We are also celebrating the Best Social Media Campaign of the Year, which acclaims the most effective and creative use of social media platforms in a marketing campaign,” says McIntee.
McIntee adds that the Most Effective Campaign of the Year honours the strategy that achieved the most significant business impact, driven by the intelligent use of technology, data, and innovative approaches.
McIntee says the Best Use of Local Insights award celebrates campaigns that have successfully tapped into local culture, traditions, and consumer behaviour to create highly resonant and effective marketing communications. Then there is the Best Cause-Related Campaign, which needs to have aligned a brand with a social cause or issue.
McIntee says that the much sought-after Brand of the Year honours the company that has demonstrated exceptional performance, innovation, and leadership in the marketing industry over the past year.
“Our drumroll category is the Campaign of the Year, which is our top honour and awarded to the campaign that stands out as the most outstanding marketing effort of the year,” says McIntee.
To win, the team must show a perfect blend of creativity, strategic insight, and execution, resulting in extraordinary impact and effectiveness. “It should serve as a benchmark for excellence in the marketing industry,” she says.
Deadline for submissions is 16 September 2024. Information and updates are available on the event website: www.africanmarketingconfederation.org
Epica Awards announces 2024 Jury President
A seasoned reporter covering the media industry, Claire Atkinson has held senior positions at The New York Post, NBC and Business Insider.
As the only global creative prize judged by the press, The Epica Awards is proud to announce that highly respected journalist Claire Atkinson – who has spent her career covering the global media business – will preside over the jury this year.
Claire writes an influential newsletter, “The Media Mix” and has been commissioned to write a biography of Rupert Murdoch by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette.
Claire started out on trade titles, including Ad Age and Broadcasting & Cable, before moving to the New York Post, where she spent seven years on the media beat for the paper’s business desk. She later joined NBC News, where she was senior media editor. More recently she was chief media correspondent at Business Insider.
Raised in the UK, Claire moved to New York in 1999 as she considered it “the centre of the media”, her passion, as well as “the centre of ambition”. Her parents were ravenous consumers of news media and she grew up wanting to be a journalist.
“Journalism gives you a ringside seat to history,” she says. “Plus you get to interview some wild people that you’d normally never get to meet.”
She loves media and advertising because “it’s a ball that’s constantly in motion”. She adds: “I’m fascinated by commercial messaging and the way companies speak to us, as well as how the people in power speak to media, and how the media speak back.”
Commenting on the benefits of a jury of journalists, she says: “We’re always looking for what’s new, what’s different. We spend our lives scouring the internet for stories, watching TV, reading the news. So I think we’re hyper-aware of innovative ways of communicating…As far as I’m concerned, if my eyes are open, I’m working.”
Inclusive Lens Award winners announced – FAME Week Africa celebrates diversity in entertainment
At MIP Africa’s first Inclusive Lens awards yesterday, Showmax won Representation of LGBTQIA+ awards for both Wyfie (Scripted Series) and Beaulah: Queens van die Kaap(Non-Scripted Series).
