The Media Online’s weekly column delivering news of award wins, entries, competitions, dates to note and winners in the media industry.
Durban International Film Festival announces awards winners
The Durban International Film Festival, organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, announced its award winners on Monday during the festival’s live Facebook and YouTube award ceremony’s 43rd edition.
The announcement comes as the festival rounds off another successful festival, with audiences tuning into the festival online and in the cinema:
“It was inspiring to be back in cinema but also to see our online audiences tuning in. It shows us that there is still huge enthusiasm from our South African audiences for the festival, both audiences who have been attending for years and new audiences. It encourages us to continue to develop and look forward to DIFF2023,” said the director of the Centre for Creative Arts, Ismail Mahomed.
The complete list of awards is:
International Student Film Festival
Best South African Student Film: Where is Mr Adams?
Best International Student Film: Mona & Parviz
Special Mentions: Hourglass House and Woman of No Importance
Shorts
Best South African Short: Prayers for Sweet Waters
Best African Short: Sixteen Rounds
Best International Short: Miette
Special Mentions: Dream Writer, Little Sky
Documentaries
Best South African Documentary: Girl, Taken
Best International Documentary: Wind Blows the Border
Special mentions: Music is my Life, No U-Turn and Batata
Features
1960 – Best SA Feature Film
Bangarang – Best African Feature Film
Bantu Mama – Best International Feature Film
Clarisse Albrecht in Bantu Mama – Best Performer
Babetida Sadjo in Juwaa – Best Supporting Performer
Ricky Kofi Adelayitar & Brimah Watara in Public Toilet Africa – Best Cameo Performers
Ring Wandering – Best Screenplay
Overall
Amnesty Human Rights Award – Batata
Artistic Bravery: No U-Turn
Best Cinematography: Bantu Mama
Best Direction: Agam Darshi in Donkeyhead
Audience Choice Award: Amagama ka Nokutela
Flow Communications wins at the International Public Relations Association Golden World Awards
Flow Communications has won the environmental category in the prestigious 2022 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards for its work on the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day campaign.
“We are ecstatic! This coveted international award is yet another reminder of how much we love what we do, and the amazing clients who partner with us and trust us to create compelling campaigns. This campaign was born out of the courage of a few dedicated and passionate people, who all worked on it totally pro bono,” said Flow CEO Tara Turkington.
Said Flow managing director, Tiffany Turkington-Palmer, “This is wonderful news! It’s heart-warming to see our purpose-driven campaigns doing so well this year, and the MPA Day campaign is a perfect example of this. We are so looking forward to MPA Day this year, coming up again on August 1.”
On 1 August 2021, South Africa observed a day to celebrate Marine Protected Areas, MPA Day, the first event of its kind globally. MPAs are protected areas of coastlines and ocean, or “game reserves of the sea”.
Flow Communications and Olivia Jones Communications were instrumental in the several months of planning and build-up for the campaign, primarily using online communication channels such as social media and digital platforms to disseminate information about the event. The campaign was so successful that MPA Day has now become an annual event, extending to eight countries outside South Africa this year.
Only two African firms were honoured at this year’s IPRA Awards, Flow Communications and BCW Africa, which won in the Climate Change category. Other winners this year included: PR Consulting Dentsu Inc., BCW Germany, the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association and more. The full list of IPRA winners can be seen here: www.ipra.org/golden-world-awards/winners/.
East Coast Radio wins Community and Social Responsibility award at the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Awards.

East Coast Radio was recognised for its successful KZN Flood Relief campaign in partnership with The Gift of The Givers. ECR’s intention was to help the province rebuild and thrive after the devastating floods – making KZN a better place to live and work for all.
The campaign generated more than R6.7-million worth of donations to help the province’s flood victims.
With the help of The Gift of the Givers, these funds were used to rebuild schools and homes, buy school uniforms, books, and more for the affected communities.
The success of the initiative is a testament to East Coast Radio’s commitment to the people of KZN’s immediate and future needs.
East Coast Radio’s Managing Director, Boni Mchunu, is thrilled that the station won an award that showcases the brand’s dedication to stepping up for the community it serves.
“KZN is the home of ECR, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to be able to use our voices to assist and uplift KZN communities. Our promise is to continue making an impact and serve KZN always because as a brand, we believe that together, we can build a united province that is known for the warmth of its people, diverse culture & spirit of Ubuntu,” Mchunu said.
As a station, ECR is committed to assist and support KZN communities through The Big Favour. Tune in to Darren, Keri & Sky Breakfast show weekdays from 6 – 9am to learn more about ECR’s CSI initiatives.
Winners of the 2022 pan-African (re)insurance journalism awards announced
After two years of virtual events, Continental Reinsurance Plc has announced the winners of the 7th pan-African (re)insurance journalism awards at an in-person event in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday night. One of the many firsts of the evening was the inclusion of Arabic-language media in the awards which helped to attract entries from a record-breaking 22 African countries.
The category winners are:

Launched in 2015, the awards continued to attract a rising number of entries (84 up from 67) from an increasing number of African nations (22 up from 16), among them for the first time South Sudan and Egypt. After announcing the shortlist in June, and careful deliberation by an independent jury assessing relevance, style and impact, the winners were invited to Lagos, Nigeria, for a fully sponsored trip to receive their awards. The winners will also receive an exclusive year-long mentorship to develop their insurance sector reporting skills further. This is in addition to cash prizes.
Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) Announces Finalists for its 2022 Awards
The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum has announced the finalists for its 2022 AWIEF Awards.
The finalists for the 2022 AWIEF Awards are (names in alphabetical order):
YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
- Gisèla Van Houcke – Founder and CEO, Zuri Luxury Hair and Beauty, Rwanda
- Nadine Farrag – CEO and Founder, Farahy, Egypt
- Stacey Menga Onyango – Director, Minkoti Agencies Limited, Kenya
TECH ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
- Faith Mokgalaka – Founder and CEO, Puno Greenery, South Africa
- Sahar Salama – Founder and CEO, TPAY Mobile, Egypt
- Thato Mabudusha Schermer – Co-Founder and CEO, Zoie Health Technologies, South Africa
AGRI ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
- Esther Kimani – Founder, Farmer Lifeline Technologies, Kenya
- Grace Kariuki – CEO, Origen Group, Kenya
- Korka Diaw – President, Réseau des Agricultrices du Nord, Senegal
ENERGY ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
- Diana Mbogo – Managing Director, Millennium Engineers Enterprises Limited, Tanzania
- Judith Marera – Founder and CEO, Lanforce Energy, Zimbabwe
- Mona Al Adawy – Founder and CEO, GeoEnergy Petroleum Services, Egypt
CREATIVE INDUSTRY AWARD
- Abai Schulze – Founder and Creative Director, ZAAF Collection, Ethiopia
- Barbara Kamba-Nyathi – CEO, Bold Dialogue, Zimbabwe
- Vénicia Guinot – Chairwoman, Tropics Group of Companies, South Africa
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR AWARD
- Barbara Afia Class-Peter – Founder, Honour-Barbara Centre for Speech, Ghana
- Johanna Cloete – Managing Director, GEN Namibia, Namibia
- Lumbie Mlambo – Founder and CEO, JB Dondolo, Zimbabwe
EMPOWERMENT AWARD
- Martha Alade – Founder, Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN), Nigeria
- Teresa Njoroge – Founder and CEO, Clean Start Solution, Kenya
- Velveeta Viban – Founder and Executive Director, I’m Human Org, Cameroon
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- Dalia Ibrahim – CEO, Nahdet Misr Publishing House, Egypt
- Manal Amin – CEO, Arabize, Egypt
- Nomhle Maggie Mliswa – CEO, Summerhill Farms, Zimbabwe
Celebrated global African marketer, Thebe Ikalafeng, honoured with the 2022 PRISM Lifetime Achievement Award
Thebe Ikalafeng, Founder and Chairman of award-winning pan-African branding advisory firm, Brand Leadership and the movement to drive a brand-led African agenda, Brand Africa, has been honoured with a PRISM Lifetime Achievement Award by the Public Relations Institute of South Africa (PRISA) at the 25th annual PRISM awards ceremony for his outstanding contribution to the public relations and communications industry.
Ikalafeng is an internationally-acclaimed marketer with a career spanning over 25 years, a prominent global African thought leader and authoritative voice in branding across Africa.
Thabisile Phumo, chief judge of the PRISM Awards, who announced Ikalafeng as this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner, said the Kimberly-born renowned marketer has been a trailblazer who has created an enduring legacy that has shaped the South African and African communications industry and driven a brand-led positive narrative of Africa globally.
In his acceptance speech, punctuated by a standing ovation and loud cheers from the 350 guests who attended the awards, Ikalafeng, who quoted Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe’s “until the lions learn how to tell their stories, tales of the hunter will be glorified” famous warning, implored African communicators and storytellers to take charge in shaping the African agenda and not to abdicate it to the rest of the world.