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    You are at:Home»Uncategorized»Cue picks up journalism awards
    Uncategorized

    Cue picks up journalism awards

    Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailDecember 1, 2015No Comments11 Mins Read
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    Cue journalists and CueTube were amongst the winners of the 2015 Arts Journalism Awards announced in Johannesburg yesterday (Monday) by The National Arts Festival and Business and Arts South Africa. 

    Cue journalists and CueTube were amongst the winners of the 2015 Arts Journalism Awards announced in Johannesburg yesterday (Monday) by The National Arts Festival and Business and Arts South Africa. 

    The winner of the overall Arts Journalist of the Year Award was freelance writer Lwandile Fikeni.

    Of the Cue journalists, Siya Ngcobo picked up a Gold and Nick Mulgrew and Nigel Vermaas got Silvers in the review category. CueTube was awarded a silver in the organisational category.

    Nigel Vermaas (who is not only a regular reviewer for Cue he has also taught in the radio section of Rhodes Journalism Department) was additionally honoured with a lifetime achievement award for “commitment to covering music of all genres and to mentoring the next generation of arts journalists” – particularly on radio.            

    Lwandile Fikeni was given a silver award in the ‘Reviews’ category and a gold in ‘Features’, with the overall award coming his way on the basis of his versatility, and his ability to write “exceptionally well” for different audiences across a range of publications.  
    Commenting on the entries received, convener of the judging panel Gwen Ansell said, “The range of writers, and the depth and commitment of the content, has been impressive.

    In a time when newsrooms are faced with shrinking resources, it’s been encouraging to see how some newsrooms still make the effort to source original, high-quality arts writing. In addition, we’re increasingly seeing relevant issues being raised by distinctive individual voices on blogs and websites".

    Among the websites and blogs awarded this year, were The Con, Africa Is A Country, Litnet, The Critter and Books LIVE. City Press was given the overall Gold Media Organisation Award, the prize for which is a scholarship for one of their journalists to take part in the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) Arts Journalism Course in early 2016.

    Other traditional publications such as Mail & Guardian and Sunday Times also dominated the final winners list.  
    More than 100 entries were received for the Awards, a “significant” increase on previous years, a figure that was described by the National Arts Festival as conveners of the Awards as “heartening”. 

     The National Arts Festival and Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) conceptualised and launched the Awards in 2013 to acknowledge some of the excellent work being done by arts journalists in newsrooms across the country. 

    “Journalists help us contextualise, understand, reflect on and make sense of the work of our artists and of the industry as a whole,” said Festival CEO, Tony Lankester. “We need strong journalism to be recognised as something that underpins and gives meaning to what we do – through these awards we want to acknowledge those journalists who critically engage with the sector and not just who act as praise singers. Although giving praise where it is due is also welcomed!” he said. 

    BASA, who has been funding the Awards since their inception, agree that the way the arts are portrayed in the media is a critical part of the arts landscape. "Good arts journalism is a supporter and driver of narrative and of storytelling. BASA believes implicitly in this storytelling, in order to deepen and continuously interrogate the role and value of the arts in society," BASA CEO, Michelle Constant said. 


    BASA/National Arts Festival South African 
    Arts Journalism Awards 2014/5 
    Final list of winners 

    CATEGORY: REVIEWS 
    Gold Winners  
     
    Name                                  Publication 
    Edward Tsumele              Assorted 
    Siya Ngcobo                     Cue 
    Steve Kretzmann             The Critter 

    Silver Winners   
    Name                                  Publication 
    Ang Lloyd                           Cape Times 
    Lwandile Fikeni                 M&G 
    Maryke Roberts                 Litnet 
    Michelle Magwood           Sunday Times 
    Nick Mulgrew                     Assorted incl. M&G, Cue 
    Nigel Vermaas                  Cue 
    Roger Young                     City Press 
    Sindi-Leigh McBride        Africa is a Country 
    Thabo Jijana                     The New Age 

     

    CATEGORY: NEWS 
    Gold Winners   

    Name                                Publication 
    Garreth Van Niekerk      City Press 
    Jennifer Malec                Books LIVE 

     
    Silver Winners   
    Name                               Publication 
    Patience Bambalele     Sowetan 
    Sue Blaine                      Business Day 

     
    CATEGORY: FEATURES 
    Gold Winners   

    Name                               Publication                        
    Grethe Koen                   City Press 
    Lloyd Gedye                   The Con
     Lwandile Fikeni            City Press 

    Silver Winners   
    Name                                Publication 
    Ashraf Jamal                    Art Africa 
    Athi Mongezeleli Joja     M&G 
    Christiaan J De Swardt  Vrouekeur 
    Gugulethu Mhlungu        City Press 
    Sipesihle Mthembu         M&G 
    Stefanie Jason                 M&G 
    Sue De Groot                   Sunday Times Lifestyle 
    Tymon Smith                    Sunday Times Lifestyle 

    CATEGORY: SOUNDS/BROADCAST 
    Gold Winners
      
    Name                            Publication 
    Nigel Vermaas             Assorted                                  

    Silver Winners   
    Name                            Publication 

    Jessica Mulder            ENCA 
    Lerato Thipa                SABC 

    CATEGORY: STILL PHOTOGRAPHY 
    Gold Winners   

    Name                            Publication 
    Betram Malgas            Netwerk24 

    Silver Winners   
    Name                            Publication 
    Madelene Cronje       M&G 
    Moeletsi Mabe            TMG/The Times    

    CATEGORY: ORGANISATIONAL AWARD 

    Gold Winners 
    Publication 
    City Press 

    Silver Winners 
    Publication 
    Art Africa 
    CueTube 
    Mail & Guardian 

     LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 
    Nigel Vermaas 

    ARTS JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR 
    Lwandile Fikeni (City Press) 

    Judging Panel 2015:

     Gwen Ansell (Convener)
     Andrew Tshabangu
     Sean O'Toole
     Darryl Accone
     Robyn Sassen
     Rafs Mayet
     Percy Mabandu
     Jayne Morgan

    NOTES TO EDITORS:

    Business and Arts South Africa (NPC) is an internationally recognised South African development agency with a suite of integrated programmes implemented nationally and internationally. Business and Arts South Africa (NPC) encourages mutually beneficial partnerships between business and the arts, contributing to corporate success and securing the future development of the arts sector in South Africa.

    Business and Arts South Africa (NPC) was founded in 1997 as a joint initiative of the Department of Arts and Culture and the business sector as a public/private partnership @basa_news on Twitter. http://www.basa.co.za/

    The National Arts Festival, Grahamstown is an important event on the South African cultural calendar, and the biggest annual celebration of the arts on the African continent.

    This year it ran from 2 to 12 July 2015 in the small university town of Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape. The programme comprised drama, dance, physical theatre, comedy, opera, music, jazz, visual art exhibitions, film, student theatre, street theatre, lectures, craft fair, workshops, tours (of the city and surrounding historic places) as well as a children’s arts festival.

    As no censorship or artistic restraint has ever been imposed on works presented in Grahamstown, the Festival served as an important forum for political and protest theatre during the height of the apartheid era, and it continues to offer an opportunity for experimentation across the arts spectrum. Its significance as a forum for new ideas and an indicator of future trends in the arts cannot be underestimated.

     
     ISSUED BY: The Famous Idea
    CONTACT: Gilly Hemphill
    EMAIL: info@thefamousidea.co.za 
    TEL: 011 782 0085
    CELL: 082 820 8584 
    ON BEHALF OF: THE NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL, GRAHAMSTOWN
    WEBSITE: www.nationalartsfestival.co.za 

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