Africa Fact-Checking Awards 2023 for African Journalists

Entries are now open for the Tenth annual African Fact-Checking Awards, the only awards programme that honours journalism by Africa-based media in the expanding field of fact-checking.

Application Deadline: 30th June 2023 midnight GMT.

Eligible Countries: African countries

To be taken at (country): Kenya

About the Award: 

Now in its 10th year, the African Fact-Checking Awards is the longest-running awards programme celebrating fact-checking journalism in the African media.

Entries for the 2023 awards are now open to journalists, journalism students, and professional fact-checkers. In 2022, we received 190 entries from 24 African countries. We anticipate even more in 2023.

“The African Fact-Checking Awards are not just a celebration of excellence in fact-checking, they are a vital instrument for promoting fact-checking in Africa. By recognising and rewarding those who work hard in the pursuit of accuracy these awards encourage others to follow in their footsteps and uphold the highest standards of fact-checking. In this way, the African Fact-Checking Awards help to build a culture of fact-checking in Africa, where access to verified information can be a challenge” says Dudu Mkhize, Africa Check’s Head of Outreach.

This year’s categories include:

• Fact-Check of the Year by a Working Journalist
• Fact-Check of the Year by a Student Journalist
• Fact-Check of the Year by a Professional Fact-Checker

Type: contest

Eligibility: To qualify, entries must have been first published or broadcast in the period between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. The fact-check should conclude that a claim about an important topic, originating in or relevant to Africa, is either misleading or false.

Candidates can only enter for the awards in one category per year, but can submit more than one report if they choose.

Selection Criteria: The entries will be judged on the following four criteria:

• The significance for wider society of the claim investigated
• How the claim was tested against the available evidence
• How well the piece presented the evidence for and against the claim
• The impact that the publication had on public debate on the topic.

Number of Awardees: Four (4)

Value of Award: The winners of the working journalist and professional fact-checker categories will each receive US$3,000. Runners-up will receive $1,500. For the student journalist category, the winner will receive$2,000, and the runner-up $1,000.

How to Apply: Interested participants should:

Enter the awards

Visit Award Webpage for details