The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media.
DGSA Awards spotlight film industry excellence and legacy
The Directors Guild of South Africa (DGSA) has marked a defining moment for the local screen industry with the successful launch of its inaugural DGSA Creative Awards, placing a long-overdue spotlight on the directors and creative talent shaping South Africa’s film, television, and digital storytelling landscape.
Held in Cape Town, the awards ceremony brought together industry leaders, creatives, and stakeholders in a first-of-its-kind platform dedicated to recognising directing excellence not only as a craft, but as a driving force behind the country’s cultural and economic narrative.
“This moment marks more than an awards ceremony — it is the beginning of a movement to honour, protect, and elevate South African directors,” said Andile Sinqoto, DGSA chairperson.
Key winners included:
- Best Director: Mandla Dube — Silverton Siege
- Best Feature Film: Kelsey Egan — The Fix
- Best Director – Short Film: Jozua Malherbe — ENGEL
- Best Documentary Feature: Yaseen J Khan — Robots
- Best Director – TV Series: Jozua Malherbe & Karen Jeynes — Recipes for Love and Murder
- Best Director – Commercial: Lourens van Rensburg — Chicken Licken Soulfluncer
- Best Director – Music Video: Macmillan Mabaleka — The Big 3 Trilogy
- Best Director – Digital: Dibi & Zigi — Snippets
- Best First-Time Director: Meekaaeel Adam — The Trek
Crafts Awards:
- Outstanding Cinematic Vision: Mandla Dube — Heart of the Hunter
- Best Editing: Meekaaeel Adam — The Trek
- Best Cinematography: Hayden Brown — Bergbruidjie
Acting Awards:
- Best Actress: Connie Ferguson — Heart of the Hunter
- Best Actor: Thabo Rametsi — Kalushi
- Best Supporting Actress: Robyn Roussouw — The Fix
- Best Supporting Actor: Julian Robinson — Just Now Jeffrey
Liesl Lategan announced as Cannes Lions See It Be It cohort
The Mark Awards 2026 open for entries
Entries for The Mark Awards 2026 are now open, with agencies, brands and marketing teams invited to submit their work across the programme’s seven pillars recognising excellence in modern marketing.
An early bird entry window runs until 22 April 2026, offering discounted entry fees for teams submitting work during the first phase of the programme.
The awards recognise work spanning Strategy, Design, User Experience (UX), Innovation, Leadership, Technology, and Impact & Purpose, reflecting the increasingly integrated nature of modern marketing practice.
“The Mark Awards were created to recognise the work that moves marketing forward,” says Prakash Patel, co-founder of The Mark Awards. “Today the most effective work rarely sits neatly in one discipline. It brings together strategy, creativity, technology and leadership to deliver real business results. That’s the kind of work this programme is designed to celebrate.”
The programme builds on the momentum of its inaugural event in August 2025, which brought together more than 160 senior agency leaders and marketers in the Cape Winelands.
Entries for the 2026 Mark Awards are submitted via the awards’ online platform, with full category criteria and submission guidelines available at themarkawards.com
Effie South Africa introduces Agency of the Year and Marketer of the Year rankings for 2026
Effie South Africa has announced the introduction of two new local recognitions for the 2026 season, Agency of the Year and Marketer of the Year. The rankings will be revealed at the Effie Awards South Africa Gala, alongside the 2026 winners, as part of Effie South Africa’s continued effort to spotlight marketing effectiveness.
The new awards are local programme rankings, calculated from the finalists and winners of Effie Awards South Africa only. They will be tabulated using the points structure aligned to the Effie Index methodology to ensure consistency across the Effie brand, while remaining clearly distinct from the global Effie Index. These rankings will be recognised through official Effie South Africa announcements and programme materials, rather than a physical trophy.
For detailed information on entry categories, submission guidelines, and to initiate the entry process, visit the Awards Entry Information tab on the Effie South Africa website
Effie South Africa and Ipsos present the 2025 Trends Report
Effie South Africa, in partnership with Ipsos, has released the 2025 Trends Report, offering a focused view of what the 2025 winning cases reveal about driving marketing effectiveness in South Africa. The report was presented at a webinar held on 24 March, exploring how the country’s most effective work made deliberate choices about what it needed to achieve, how strategy showed up across channels, and how creative execution converted attention into action.
The report reinforces the outcomes identified in Effie South Africa and Ipsos’ previous reports, strengthening an evidence base that has become increasingly consistent across winning work. Effectiveness is rarely accidental.
The 2025 Effie South Africa Ipsos Trends Report is available to download, alongside the webinar recording presented on 24 March. Download the report or watch the webinar on Effie South Africa’s YouTube page here.
Lindiwe Sanitary Pads celebrates Jacaranda FM’s Her Perfect Pitch win
Lindiwe Sanitary Pads, a proudly South African, black-women-owned manufacturing company dedicated to addressing menstrual poverty and restoring dignity to women and girls across the continent took home the coveted win in Jacaranda FM’s Her Perfect Pitch competition.
Founded by Tinny Masesi Nkuna, the company was born from a mission to combat period poverty by providing affordable menstrual products. This was inspired by the harsh reality of girls missing school or feeling excluded due to lack of access.
Despite early challenges in navigating suppliers, ensuring compliance, and building a reliable stock system with limited resources, Lindiwe Sanitary Pads has grown into Africa’s first female-owned, large-scale industrial sanitary pad manufacturer.
Winning Her Perfect Pitch marks a pivotal milestone, validating the company’s vision and amplifying its impact. “It was more than an award; it was validation that our vision truly matters,” said Tinny Masesi Nkuna, Founder of Lindiwe Sanitary Pads.
South Africa’s top women in business announced at 2026 Woman of Stature Awards
Now in its 11th season and celebrating 13 years of impact, the Women of Stature Awards reached a significant milestone in 2026, with over 1,000 nominations received from across the country and representing five provinces.
This record-breaking participation reflects the growing influence of the platform and the depth of female talent driving innovation, leadership, and socio-economic change across industries.
The evening culminated in the announcement of the prestigiousWoman CEO of the Year and Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, two of the most anticipated accolades of the night:
- Woman CEO of the Year: Janice Wagner from Gauteng. She is the CEO of Edge Executive Search. With more than 20 years of experience in executive search and talent strategy, she has helped shape leadership teams across the continent. Her work is driven by purpose, a love for people, and a belief in ethical, human-centred recruitment.
- Woman Entrepreneur of the Year: Taryn Hunter Sharman from Gauteng. Taryn is the co-founder and CEO of Faith & Fear an award-winning, women-owned creative agency that’s spent the last decade challenging the traditional agency model. She is known for her fearless, strategic mindset and ability to deliver insight-led work that drives measurable impact for brands across financial services, Health and Wellness, technology, and entrepreneurship.
The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the overall winner, and Woman of Stature 2026, Ncumisa Saba -Mkunqwana. Ncumisa was announced as the Woman in Financial Services category winner earlier in the evening.
“The calibre of nominees, finalists and winners this year has been truly exceptional. We are proud to recognise women who lead with purpose, resilience, and vision,” said Charlotte du Plessis, founder and CEO of Woman of Stature Awards South Africa.
- Woman in Community: Thandazile Mbeje from KwaZulu-Natal
- Woman in Technology: Aasiyah Adams from the Western Cape
- Woman in Automotive: Marcia Noxolo Veronica Mayaba from Gauteng
- Woman in Mining & Engineering: Thabisile Phumo from Gauteng
- Woman in Legal Services: Zola Mbatha from Gauteng
- Woman in Property: Fundi Mazibuko from Gauteng
- Woman in Financial Services: Ncumisa Saba-Mkunqwana from Gauteng
- Woman in MICE, Tourism & Hospitality: Nonkululeko Masinga from Gauteng
- Woman in Coaching & Mentoring: Brescia Bianco-Badenhorst from Gauteng
- Woman in Education & Training: Nicole Buckley from the Western Cape
- Woman in Arts & Culture: Ntalo Mathebula from Gauteng
- Woman in Health & Wellness: Dr Marlena Kruger from Gauteng
- Honorary Lifetime Achiever Award: Sandy Geffen
- Public Choice Award: Cynthia Machaba
- Fundraiser of the Year Award: This year had a tie with Yvonne Dias and Antionette de Jeso raising R50 000 each.
AIBs 2026 open for entries
The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) has opened entries for the AIBs 2026, the 22nd annual international competition recognising excellence in journalism and factual productions across video, audio and digital platforms.
Now in their third decade, the AIBs have become more than a showcase of outstanding programmes. They offer a unique global barometer of journalism — bringing together work from across continents to reveal how reporters, producers and editors are responding to an increasingly complex and uncertain world.
Each year, entries to the AIBs provide a cross-border snapshot of the stories shaping audiences worldwide — from breaking news and investigative reporting to in-depth documentaries and innovative digital storytelling. Open to broadcasters, production companies and independent producers, the competition welcomes work in every language, created for local, national or international audiences.
Over the past 21 years, winners have included major international broadcasters such as the BBC, CNN, SBS Australia, CNA, Mediacorp Pte Ltd, France 24 and VRT; production companies including Blue Chalk Media, Tinderbox Production, Media Stockade and Snappin’ Turtle; and digital publishers such as The Guardian and the Financial Times.
Full details of categories, entry criteria and submission guidelines are available at:
https://theaibs.tv
Gerety Awards Announces Return of Funny Women Humour Jury
With the April 17 deadline approaching, the Gerety Awards has confirmed the return of its partnership with Funny Women for the 2026 Humour category jury.
The Humour category at Gerety celebrates the very best of funny advertising. Making people laugh is one of the most refined arts in entertainment, and humour remains one of the most effective ways brands connect with audiences in memorable and culturally relevant ways.
Votes from the Funny Women jury will be included alongside those of the global executive jury when determining the shortlist, which will be announced in early June.
Founded in 2002, Funny Women is a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering women from all walks of life using comedy and humour to build confidence, explore creativity and develop their own distinctive voices. The organisation has built an international reputation for championing female and non-binary comedy talent through its programmes, events and the annual Funny Women Awards.
Commenting on the partnership, Lynne Parker, founder and chief executive of Funny Women, said: “Comedy and humour are essential components of everyday life – it’s our superpower as human beings. Every form of culture, from books to film, theatre, media and politics, embraces humour. Above all we remember the funny stuff and humour sells.”
This year’s Funny Women humour jury is led by Parker, joined by a diverse group of performers, producers and creative leaders including Monica Gaga, Robin Golinski and Kirstin Miller.
Spur and Ackerman’s bring back the fun with the return of the Design a Tee competition
Spur has once again partnered with Ackermans, South Africa’s number one value retailer for kids and babies, to spark imagination and creativity with the return of the much-loved Design-a-Tee competition, which has already received a strong response with close to 10 000 entries.
In today’s digital age, where children spend increasing amounts of time on tablets, TV, and YouTube, the joy of drawing and dreaming can sometimes fade away. To reignite that spark Spur and Ackermans are excited to bring this initiative back to life for a second year. This is done by transforming the classic Spur colouring-in sheet into vibrant T-shirt designs.
Here’s how to enter:
- Grab a Design-a-Tee colouring-in page from any Ackermans or Spur nationwide
- Design your tee masterpiece
- A parent or guardian to upload and enter the design using the details on the colouring-in page
Entries opened on 15 March and will close on 15 April. To view the design gallery and terms and conditions, please visit https://www.ackermans.co.za/pages/design-a-tee
