Nominations open for ECOWAS Journalist Award

This prestigious prize aims to highlight and honor Journalists and Media professionals who have contributed in an exceptional manner to produce and publish reports or photos highlighting the accomplishments, significant events and major milestones of the ECOWAS since its establishment.

Focus Areas

• The ECOWAS Excellence Awards aims to celebrate the contributions of media professionals who through their reports, articles and digital content have contributed to strengthening the understanding and visibility of ECOWAS initiatives in the areas of:
  • Peace
  • Security
  • Socio-economic
  • Development
  • Human Development
  • Agriculture
  • Energy
  • Transport
  • Trade
  • Telecommunications
  • Gender
  • Youth
  • Regional Integration

Award Categories

• The ECOWAS Excellence Awards for Journalists will be awarded in the following five categories:
  • Television
  • Radio
  • Print Media
  • Online Media
  • Photography

Eligible Countries

• Benin, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications are open to all female and male Journalists and Media Professionals from ECOWAS Member States.

Selection Criteria

• Television:
  • Format and Duration:
    • Video reports or mini-documentaries of a minimum duration of 2 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes must comply with the required formats.
  • Technical and Artistic Quality:
    • Excellent image and sound quality, with particular attention to artistic direction and editing.
    • Utilisation of infographics, subtitles and visual effects to reinforce the message.
  • Narration and Screenwriting:
    • A clear narrative structure that guides the viewer throughout the story, with a welldefined beginning, development and conclusion.
• Radio:
  • Audio quality and duration:
    • Recording with excellent sound quality, free from extraneous noise and ensuring clear intelligibility.
    • Audio reports or mini-documentaries with a minimum duration of 2 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes must respect the required formats.
  • Storytelling and Dynamics:
    • The content must be structured around compelling storytelling, incorporating interviews, testimonies or narrative stories.
  • Innovative Sound Production:
    • Creative use of music, ambiance and sound effects to enrich the narration.
• Written Press:
  • Clarity and Rigor in Writing:
    • Articles must be written in precise language with impeccable syntax and spelling.
  • Structure and Coherence of Argument:
    • Well-structured introduction, development and conclusion, ensuring a clear and logical flow for the reader.
  • Comprehensive Documentary:
    • Relevant use of data, statistics and reliable sources to support the argument.
• Online Press:
  • Adaptation to Digital Media:
    • Interactive, multimedia content adapted to the requirements of digital platforms (ergonomics, responsiveness and accessibility).
  • Originality in Presentation:
    • Usage of innovative formats (interactive infographics, integrated videos, podcasts, etc.) to enrich user experience.
  • Engagement and Interactivity:
    • Ability to integrate comment sections, hyperlinks and interactive elements that promote audience engagement.
• Photography:
  • Technical and Artistic Quality:
    • High-resolution images with expert control of composition, lighting and colours.
  • Ability to Tell a Story:
    • Each photograph must carry a clear message or a strong emotion, telling a story or highlighting a key aspect of current events.
  • Editorial Relevance:
    • The images must be relevant to the subject matter and used in compliance with image rights and journalistic ethics.

Evaluation Criteria

• The productions will be evaluated according to their impact, relevance, creativity and capacity to raise awareness and inform the general public about the actions and achievements of ECOWAS that benefits the population, (ECOWAS Citizens).

Application Requirements

• Format and Support:
  • Content must be submitted in the requested formats (video in MP4, audio in MP3 or WAV, documents in PDF, images in JPEG or PNG, etc.).
  • Ensure compliance with the technical specifications (resolution, duration, file size).
• Presentation file:
  • Each submission must be accompanied by a presentation file describing the context, objectives and journalistic approach used to produce the content.
  • Name of the media outlet or website that broadcasted or published the report, the country, as well as the full name, email address and telephone number of the journalist/cameraman for television, the journalist for radio/written press/online press or the photographer.
  • Mandatory mention of sources, credits and necessary authorizations for distribution.

For more information, visit ECOWAS.