The Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME), Africa’s longest-running and most consistent media awards program, has announced the opening of entries for its 34th edition. Established in 1991, DAME recognizes and celebrates outstanding media works produced and published within the calendar year. For the 2024 awards cycle, submissions are being accepted until September 17, 2025, offering media professionals across print, broadcast, and online platforms the opportunity to showcase their exceptional contributions to journalism. The awards program remains committed to upholding the highest standards of journalistic integrity and excellence, encouraging impactful reporting that informs, educates, and empowers the public discourse.
The DAME awards encompass a diverse range of categories, reflecting the multifaceted nature of contemporary journalism. These categories include Business Reporting, recognizing insightful coverage of economic trends and business activities; Child-Friendly Reporting, acknowledging media works that cater to young audiences with age-appropriate and engaging content; Education Reporting, highlighting impactful stories on education systems and policies; Energy Reporting, focusing on the critical sector of energy resources and their impact on society; Lagos Reporting, specifically dedicated to coverage of Nigeria’s bustling metropolis; Sports Reporting, celebrating excellence in sports journalism; Health Reporting, acknowledging impactful coverage of health issues and advancements; Investigative Reporting, recognizing in-depth investigations that uncover critical truths; and Judicial Reporting, highlighting insightful reporting on legal proceedings and the justice system.
Furthermore, DAME recognizes excellence in visual and editorial aspects of media production, including Best-Designed Newspaper, acknowledging innovative and aesthetically pleasing newspaper layouts; Best Media Website, celebrating user-friendly and informative online platforms; Editorial Cartooning, recognizing impactful and thought-provoking visual commentary; Editorial Writing, acknowledging compelling and well-reasoned editorial pieces; Informed Commentary, celebrating insightful analysis and opinion pieces; Child-Friendly Photography, recognizing captivating and age-appropriate photography for young audiences; and News Photography, acknowledging impactful and compelling news photography. These categories showcase the breadth of skills and creativity within the media landscape, encompassing both written and visual forms of journalistic expression.
Beyond the individual category awards, DAME also presents prestigious overall awards that recognize holistic excellence within media organizations. The Child-Friendly Medium award acknowledges media outlets that consistently provide high-quality, age-appropriate content for children, fostering a safe and enriching media environment for young audiences. The Newspaper of the Year award celebrates overall excellence in newspaper publishing, recognizing a publication’s commitment to quality journalism, impactful reporting, and innovative design. The Editor of the Year award honors an individual editor’s outstanding leadership, vision, and commitment to upholding journalistic integrity and fostering a culture of excellence within their newsroom.
DAME upholds rigorous judging criteria, ensuring that awarded works exemplify the highest standards of journalistic practice. The ABCADER principle – Accuracy, Balance, Contextual Analysis, Depth of Research, Engaging use of Language, and Relevance of the subject – forms the cornerstone of the evaluation process for reporting entries. This framework ensures that submissions are meticulously assessed for their factual accuracy, impartial presentation of diverse perspectives, insightful analysis within relevant contexts, thorough research, clear and engaging language, and overall relevance to societal issues. Entries in aesthetics-related categories are judged based on how artistic elements enhance the editorial presentation, emphasizing the synergy between visual appeal and impactful storytelling. For the overall prizes, the evaluation considers the cumulative performance of news organizations across all categories entered, recognizing comprehensive excellence in journalistic output.
Winners of the DAME awards receive a range of accolades that acknowledge their professional achievements and contribute to their career development. Individual category winners receive a DAME plaque, a symbol of their journalistic excellence; a cash prize, recognizing their dedication and talent; a certificate of merit, formally acknowledging their accomplishment; a professional tool such as a laptop or tablet, empowering them to continue their impactful work; and a book, further enriching their knowledge and understanding of the media landscape. Institutional winners receive a DAME plaque, symbolizing their organizational commitment to journalistic excellence, and a certificate of merit, formally acknowledging their collective achievement. This comprehensive recognition underscores DAME’s commitment to supporting and celebrating the vital contributions of media professionals to a well-informed and engaged society.
