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
