African Fact-Checking Awards

The African Fact-Checking Awards, the longest-running awards programme honouring fact-checking journalism by the media in Africa, are in their tenth year. 

Entries for the 2023 awards are now open to journalists, journalism students, and professional fact-checkers – across the continent. 

In 2022, we received 190 entries from 24 African countries. We expect even more in 2023. 

To qualify, entries must have been first published or broadcast in the period from 1 July 2022 to 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 wrong. 

The awards have three categories, with honours going to a winner and a runner-up. The categories are:

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

The winners of the working journalist and professional fact-checker categories will each get a prize of US$3,000. The runners-up will receive $1,500. The winner of the student journalist category will be awarded $2,000, and the runner-up $1,000. 

Entries close at midnight GMT on 30 June 2023. 

Terms and conditions

To be eligible, entries for this competition must:

-Be the original work of the individual or team identified in the entry form as the author.

-Expose a claim on an important topic that originated in or is relevant to Africa as misleading or wrong.

-Be an original piece of fact-checking journalism first published or broadcast on any date from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

-Be received by the organisers before midnight GMT on 30 June 2023. Late entries will not be accepted.

-Be received by the organisers via the official entry form. No other means of sending in entries is allowed.

-Fact-checks can be published/broadcast in any language, but entry forms must be completed in either English or French. However, should the fact-checking report not be in English or French, a written translation must be submitted with the entry.

-By submitting an entry, the entrant confirms that they are the authors of the work, and that in the case of any dispute about this, this is entirely the entrant’s responsibility

-Reports published by Africa Check are not eligible for the competition.

-Judges reserve the right to move an entry from one category to another.

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

-Should the entrant win a prize in the awards, we will send the money to a bank account to be nominated by them.

-At the shortlisting stage a representative of the jury may seek clarification on some points.

-Entrants who are found to be unethical about any aspect related to their entry will be disqualified.

-Entrants must agree to do media interviews and/or reports about the awards if they win.

-Entrants for the awards must agree to accept the judges’ decision as final.

Category: Fact-Check of the Year by a Working Journalist

-Only journalists who do not work for fact-checking organisations are eligible to enter in this category.

-The entry must have been published or broadcast for the first time by a media- or independent fact-checking organisation based in Africa on any date from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

-The work may be published in print or online, broadcast on the radio or television, or published in a blog.

Category: Fact-Check of the Year by a Professional Fact-Checker

-Journalists, fact-checkers or researchers who work for fact-checking organisations or organisations aimed at uncovering dis- or misinformation must enter in this category.

-The entry must have been published or broadcast for the first time by a media- or independent fact-checking organisation based in Africa on any date from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

-The work may be published in print or online, broadcast on the radio or television, or published in a blog.

Category: Fact-Check of the Year by a Student Journalist

-To enter the student category, candidates must be from Africa and younger than 35 by 30 June 2023.

-Student candidates must have been enrolled as a student at a university, college or other tertiary institution at some period from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

-This category excludes part-time students who are working as professional fact-checkers or journalists. Such candidates must enter one of the other two categories.

-The entry must be an original piece of fact-checking journalism, produced as course work or first published or broadcast on any date from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

-The work may be published in a blog, student publication or by a media- or independent fact-checking organisation based in Africa.

– Judges reserve the right to move an entry from one category to another.

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