Awards wrap: Nick Hamman nominated for Forty Under 40 Awards, Tiffany Markman inducted into the SA Educator Hall of Fame, PRISA extends PRISMS Young Voices deadline

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

5FM’s Nick Hamman nominated for Forty Under 40 South Africa Awards 2026

5FM has announced that Nick Hamman, host of 5 Breakfast, has been nominated in the Media, Digital & Social category of the 2026 Forty Under 40 South Africa Awards.

The awards honour individuals who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, professional excellence and meaningful community impact across multiple industries.

Hamman’s nomination recognises his outstanding contribution to South African media, from hosting the highly engaging 5 Breakfast to storytelling initiatives such as the 5FM War Cry Challenge and Heritage Tour. It also acknowledges his digital influence and ongoing commitment to celebrating Mzansi’s people, culture and food, particularly through his popular food and travel show, Hammy Eats.

Masi Mdingane, business manager for 5FM and Good Hope FM, says: “Nick is an on-air and social media powerhouse with a massive heart for South Africa. He celebrates Mzansi, its people and its food with infectious passion, but just as importantly, he uses his platforms to change people’s lives for the better. His nomination reflects the impact he makes every single day, and we are incredibly proud of him.”

Voting for the Forty Under 40 Awards is now open.

One of only six women: SA educator receives lifetime honour for advancing workplace communication

What makes someone memorable in business? Increasingly, it’s the ability to communicate ideas clearly, teach others and help people think differently.

This shift was recognised at the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa’s annual convention in July, where copywriter, educator and keynote speaker Tiffany Markman was inducted into the Southern African Educator Hall of Fame (SAEHoF), one of the association’s highest lifetime honours. She is one of only six women worldwide to receive the accolade.

For more than two decades, Markman has worked with organisations to strengthen one of their most important capabilities: communication. Through business writing programmes, AI education, keynote presentations and consulting, she has helped more than 700 brands in 18 countries communicate with greater clarity and impact, training 36 000 professionals along the way. Her work focuses on business writing, communication strategy, creative ideation and the effective use of generative AI in the workplace.

Three additional honours were presented during the convention. Cobus Visser CSP and Steve Johnson were inducted into the Southern African Speaker Hall of Fame for their sustained contribution to professional speaking, while Bruce Wade received the Stef du Plessis Founder’s Award for his service to the profession and the association.

In her acceptance speech, Markman said: “Because I had many excellent teachers, I believe that really good educators create more really good educators. So if, over the last 20 years, I’ve managed to do that for others, I’m doing the work I hoped to do.”

PRISA’s new leadership deepens commitment to emerging talent through extended PRISMS Young Voices deadline

As the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) enters a new leadership phase focused on strengthening professional standards across Africa, the institute has extended the application deadline for PRISMS Young Voices 2026, giving aspiring communications professionals and final-year students under the age of 30 additional time to apply.

The move reflects PRISA’s commitment to developing practitioners who combine commercial acumen, strategic thinking and ethical practice.

PRISMS Young Voices was established to bridge the gap between emerging talent and industry leadership by giving selected participants direct exposure to the PRISMS judging process, award-winning campaigns, mentorship and meaningful engagement with some of South Africa’s leading communications professionals. The programme forms part of the 2026 PRISMS Awards under the theme Kaleidoscope: Patterns of Impact Across Past, Present & Future.

“Public relations is one of the few professions where you are expected to understand business, society, culture and people, often all at once. That is what makes it both challenging and incredibly rewarding,” says Thabisile Phumo, chief judge of the 2026 PRISMS Awards.

Applicants should submit either a 200-250-word motivation or a three- to five-minute video explaining why they should be selected for PRISMS Young Voices 2026. Applications should be emailed to prisms@prisa.co.za with the subject line: PYV 2026 Application: Your Full Name.

Applications have been extended and now close on 15 August 2026 at 23:59.

2026 Isu Elihle Awards Top 6 announcement

Moxii Africa has announced the Top 6 finalists for the 2026 Isu Elihle Awards. Now in its 10th year, the Isu Elihle Awards have become one of Africa’s most respected platforms for child-focused journalism, challenging journalists across the continent to tell fresh, innovative and ethical stories that centre children’s voices and hold the powerful to account.

This year’s competition attracted 155 applications from across Africa, highlighting the growing reach and relevance of the awards. Tonight, the six finalists whose story ideas have been selected for the second stage of the competition will be revealed.

The finalists will receive mentorship from media and child rights experts, along with financial support of up to R10 000 each to research, develop and publish their stories in a mainstream media outlet of their choice.

The top three finalists will compete for cash prizes of R30 000, R20 000 and R15 000, with the possibility of an additional Mandy Rossouw Accountability Award for the journalist who best demonstrates a commitment to holding the powerful to account on issues affecting children.

Standard Bank named South Africa’s most valuable financial services brand as brand value rises to $4.724 billion

Standard Bank has been named South Africa’s most valuable financial services brand and the country’s second most valuable brand overall in the 2026 Kantar BrandZ Top 30 Most Valuable South African Brands ranking.

The bank’s brand value increased by 54% to US$4.724 billion, up from US$3.066 billion in the 2024 ranking, outpacing the 47% growth recorded by the Top 30 brands collectively.

The Kantar BrandZ rankings combine a brand’s financial value with the contribution made by consumer perceptions and demand.

David Hodnett, CEO of Standard Bank South Africa, said: “Being named South Africa’s most valuable financial services brand is a significant endorsement of the trust, relevance and confidence that clients continue to place in Standard Bank. The result reflects the role we play as a partner in our clients’ journey of growth. By combining deep local insight, specialist expertise and the connected capabilities of Standard Bank Group, we are able to help clients turn ambition into progress.”

Entries open for the 2026 Presidential MSME and Co-operatives Awards

The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD), together with the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA), has officially opened entries for the 2026 Presidential MSME and Co-operatives Awards.

The awards recognise and celebrate South Africa’s top-performing micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), co-operatives and ecosystem partners whose innovation, resilience and enterprise development efforts are driving economic growth, job creation and inclusive development.

The 2026 National Presidential MSME and Co-operatives Awards will follow a three-phase competition process to ensure broad participation and representation from across South Africa.

Phase 1: District Pitching Competition – Eligible MSMEs and co-operatives will submit entries through an online application system. Successful entrants will be invited by their respective SEDFA district offices to participate in the district pitching competition.

Phase 2: Provincial (Premier’s) Awards – Hosted in all nine provinces, with only district winners eligible to compete. One winner in each category will be selected to represent their province at the national awards.

Phase 3: National Presidential MSME and Co-operatives Awards – Provincial winners will advance to the national awards, where the overall winners will be announced.

Applications are open and close on 14 August 2026. Applications can be submitted via the official awards website.