The 2024 awards will feature 21 distinct categories, excluding special GPU awards, which will honor remarkable journalistic contributions. Categories include: Business and Finance Reporting, Sports Reporting, Environment Reporting, Investigative Reporting, Health & Medical Reporting, Women’s Reporting, Children’s Reporting, Tourism, Culture, Arts & Entertainment Reporting, Agriculture Reporting, Political Reporting, Human Rights Reporting, Legal Affairs Reporting, Photojournalism, Security Reporting, Tax Reporting, Journalist of the Year, Community/Rural Radio of the Year, Radio Station of the Year, TV Station of the Year, Online Platform of the Year, and Newspaper of the Year.
Chairperson of the Awards Committee, Isatou Keita, emphasised the significance of the National Journalism Awards, which she said, honors the courage and excellence displayed by Gambian journalists across print, online, radio, television, and photography platforms.
The awards, she added, are a core element of GPU’s annual activities, which coincide with World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on May 3rd each year.
However, due to logistical issues, she said, the ceremony often takes place on a different date, adding that previous ceremonies were held on September 3, 2021, December 2, 2022, and December 16, 2023.
Keita noted that eligibility extends to Gambian journalists employed by registered Gambian media outlets, adding that Gambian journalists contributing to international media are also eligible.
Submissions must include works published between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, both locally and internationally.
She also revealed that the awards committee is finalising a panel of independent media experts known for their integrity to serve as judges.
The panel's biographies will soon be published on the GPU website. These judges will evaluate all submissions based on criteria such as accuracy, relevance, grammar, style, presentation, impact, creativity, and originality.
