The National Arts Festival and Business and
Arts South Africa (BASA) are calling for entries to the South African Arts
Journalism Awards.
The awards will be presented for the first
time in 2013.
Festival CEO Tony Lankester says: “The
awards will recognise journalistic practice across all media platforms - print,
online and broadcast.” He added that the arts sector “needs robust, healthy,
insightful and articulate commentary and criticism from the media to keep it
moving forward”.
The awards will identify excellence,
expertise and creativity. In doing so, they will promote the practice of arts
and cultural journalism, strengthen its national profile and celebrate its
importance, range, diversity, fluidity and vitality.
Gold and Silver awards will be made in the
following categories:
- Reviewing: Reviews of theatre, music,
visual/plastic arts, dance, literature, film, comedy or any other arts and
culture phenomenon.
- Features: These may include interviews
and profiles, behind-the-scenes stories, arts-related investigative journalism
or other forms of arts and culture reportage in any medium.
- Opinion pieces: Comment, analysis and
provocation – in any medium – relating to specific artistic disciplines, the
arts sector more broadly or arts-related policy and business stories.
Professor Chris Thurman has been invited by
the organisers to convene an independent panel of judges who, apart from the
above categories, may also choose to nominate recipients for the following
awards:
Best New Voice; Special Contribution to
Arts Journalism; Best New Media Exponent; Arts Photography and Special Merit
Award.
"Business and Arts South Africa
continues to support a better understanding of the arts, and advocates an arts
culture in our society. Rigorous and innovative coverage of the arts is crucial
in the argument highlighting the value of the arts to all South Africans. It is
for this reason that we are excited to be partnering with the National Arts
Festival on these Awards," says BASA CEO Michelle Constant.
Winners will be announced during the course
of this year’s National Arts Festival and a range of cash prizes will be
awarded. Additionally, one journalist will be awarded the opportunity to travel
to the vibrant Amsterdam Fringe in September, from where they will report on
South African productions being presented at that Festival as part of the World
Fringe Alliance showcase.
“There are times we need to be challenged,
times we need to be applauded, and times we need someone to hold a mirror up to
us just as our artists hold a mirror to society. These awards will seek out
those journalists who practice their craft with integrity and who stimulate
debate and passion in their readers, viewers and listeners. They are a
celebration of excellence and of passion, and we are delighted to partner with
BASA in bringing them to life," elaborates Lankester.
Competition rules and other important
information can be found on the Festival’s website at www.nationalartsfestival.co.za.
The following submissions procedures must
be adhered to:
- The deadline for entries is Friday 8
March 2013
- Those submitting written work may enter
one or more article(s) totalling no more than 3,000 words.
- Those submitting audio or video material
may enter either a compilation of clips or a single programme/instalment, no
longer than 25 minutes in duration. The presenter, the producer, sound/visual
editor and other members of the production team should be clearly indicated.
- Photographic material should be limited
to a portfolio of 15 images.
In all cases, entries should be accompanied
by a brief letter of motivation in which the entrant specifies which
category(ies) he/she is entering, provides some background to his/her work and
indicates the context of publication or broadcast of the material submitted:
date, time (if applicable), title, publication/station/channel/website.
Material may only be submitted if it was published or broadcast in the 2012
calendar year. Judges reserve the right to request the entrant to provide proof
of publication or broadcast.
Electronic submissions are preferable.
Applicants may submit material as an e-mail attachment sent to: artsjourn@nationalartsfestival.co.za
Alternatively, hard copies may be posted to: National Arts Festival, PO Box
304, Grahamstown, 6140 provided that they are postmarked no later than March 8,
2013.
Finalists will be announced in April in
Johannesburg, with Gold and Silver and other category winners announced in June
in Grahamstown.
The judging panel for the awards comprises Chris
Thurman (Convenor), Andre le Roux, Fred Khumalo, Shado Twala, Adrienne Sichel,
Ryland Fisher, Victor Dlamini, Avril Joffe, Gwen Ansell, Pitika Ntuli. The
judges’ decisions will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The National Arts Festival is sponsored by
Standard Bank, The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, Eastern Cape
Government, Department of Arts and Culture, City Press and M Net.
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