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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. 

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 are judged based on the following criteria:

Significance

The significance for wider society of the claim/statement investigated. How much does the topic matter to society at large and how serious could the consequences be if the claim wasn't fact-checked?

Testing

How was the claim tested against the available evidence? Fact-checkers must take a long, hard look at the claim/statement that was made. Fact-checking entails rigorously sifting through the publicly available evidence for and against the claim. This should be done in a way that is fair to the person or institution who made the claim and strict in assessing the evidence.

Presentation

How well does the piece present the evidence for and against the claim? A good fact-checking report is structured in such a way that it's understandable and makes the topic accessible to the widest possible public. 

Impact

The impact that the fact-check had on public debate on the topic. Did it lead to a correction, did it have significant reach, or was it shared by other organisations or members of the media, for instance? 

 

Previous winners

2023

The Africa Facts summit held in Port Louis, Mauritius was brought to a celebratory end with the Awards gala dinner, which announced the winners and runners-up of this year’s African Fact-Checking Awards.

Winners

Runners-up

2022

The Africa Facts summit held in Nairobi, Kenya concluded with the African Fact-Checking Awards on Thursday 10 November 2022, with fact checkers from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Mauritius taking top honours. We received more than 190 entries from 24 countries this year and we continue to see a rise in the quality of entries. 

Winners

Runners-up

2021

We received a record number of 216 entries from 28 countries.

Winners

Runners-up

 

2020

We received a record number of 192 entries from 27 African countries in 2020. 

Winners

Runners-up

2019

We received a total of 153 entries from more than 20 countries all across the continent – from Ethiopia, Nigeria and Senegal to Egypt, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Winners

Runner-ups

Winner 2019
Winners of the 2019 Africa Fact Checking Awards at a ceremony at Wits University, Johannesburg on 29 October 2019.

 

2018

We received over 150 entries from more than 20 countries, from Ethiopia, Nigeria and Egypt to South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Winners

  • Best fact-checking report by a working journalist: Chikezie Omeje, International Centre For Investigative Reporting (ICIR), “FACT CHECK: Did Nigeria record a reduction in preschool enrolment?”, Nigeria
  • Best fact-checking report by a student journalist: Moussa Ngom, CESTI, “Dakar n’est pas la deuxième ville au monde la plus polluée”, Senegal

Runners-up

Winner 2018
Winner of the student category Moussa Ngom and runner-up of best fact-check Jason Norwood-Young at the 2018 African Fact-checking Awards held at Wits University. Picture: Kabi Motlau.

 

2017

In 2017, we received a record number of applications – 159 entries from 25 countries – from Ethiopia and Egypt in the north to South Africa and Zimbabwe in the south, before entries closed on 31 August.

Winners

Runners-up

Winner 2017
18 November 2017: Keymote address and awards ceremony held at Wits University Great Hall. Picture: Daylin Paul.

 

2016

After reviewing 130 entries from 22 countries the judges selected the following:

Winners

Runners-up

Winner 2015
Winner Benjamin Ezeamalu (middle), with Robert Holloway, director of the AFP Foundation, editors of Africa Check, and Peter Cunliffe-Jones. Photo: AFP/KAREL PRINSLOO

 

2015

After entries from more than 50 journalists in 15 countries, the jury selected the below winners and runners-up:

Winner

  • Best fact-checking report: Ben Ezeamalu, Premium Times, Nigeria

Runners-up

Winner 2015
Winner Benjamin Ezeamalu (middle), with Robert Holloway, director of the AFP Foundation, editors of Africa Check, and Peter Cunliffe-Jones. Photo: AFP/KAREL PRINSLOO

 

2014

In our inaugural year, we received entries from more than 40 journalists across 10 countries.

Winner

  • Edem Srem & Gifty Andoh Appiah, independent film-makers, Ghana

Runners-up

Winner 2014
Edem Srem receives his certificate from Africa Check chair and AFP Foundation Director, Robert Holloway

 

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