2020 Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling

| November 24, 2019

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The Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling recognizes up-and-coming journalists who are telling important stories through quality reporting. This award is presented by ONE, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), and the Elliott family.

Michael Elliott was the CEO of ONE, an international NGO, from 2011 to 2016. Before that, he was a distinguished journalist and editor at The Economist, Newsweek, and Time.

The winner of the award will receive a $5,000 US cash prize to pursue an in-depth reporting project. In addition, they will participate in a special study tour of US newsrooms organized by ICFJ. The winner will also have a two-week internship at The Economist headquarters in London.

Applications will only be accepted from English-speaking journalists working in Africa in print, broadcast, or online news media. Applicants must have no more than 10 years’ experience.

The application must include one published piece that uses top-notch reporting to capture stories of modern Africa. The story must have been published between Dec. 1, 2018 and Dec. 1, 2019. If the story is in another language, an English translation must be provided.

The deadline to apply is Dec. 15.

To apply, go to: https://www.tfaforms.com/4766546

Past winners include:

  • Mercy Juma, a BBC Africa journalist in Kenya who reports on sensitive topics, including unwed teen mothers living in Muslim communities.
  • Abubakar Ibrahim, a reporter and editor with the Daily Trust in Nigeria who has reported on the Boko Haram insurgency.
  • Dorcas Wangira, a journalist for Citizen Television in Kenya who has reported on a group of teenagers developing an app to prevent female genital mutilation.

Read more about past winners and learn more about the award: https://www.icfj.org/our-work/michael-elliott-award-excellence-african-storytelling