Join us this Thursday to learn from two African journalists on how they produced the stories that won the 2022 Michael Elliott Award.

When calls for contest nominations are announced, many journalists wonder what the judges will be looking for in their preferred winners. Here’s a good way to find out what is required to win: Talk to previous winners of such an award.

Last month, ICFJ announced that journalists from Cameroon and Morocco won the 2022 Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling for their stories that exposed climate change impacts in Africa. The winners, Nalova Akua and Khalid Bencherif, will be my guests this week.

They will describe how they put the stories together, from ideation, pitching, research, production, publishing and competition entry. They have also agreed to share tips and guidance regarding their applications for the contest with you.

Bencherif is an award-winning freelance journalist from Morocco, specializing in covering environmental, social and political issues in North Africa and the Middle East. He is a member of the World Federation of Science Journalists. He has more than five years of experience as a journalist, and a master’s degree in journalism. In addition to winning the Elliott Award, he was Shortlisted for the Livingston Award (International Reporting Category), and One World Media Awards (Popular Feature Category).

Akua is a Cameroonian journalist who is passionate about telling stories that serve society, articles that give a voice to the unheard, and writing that puts the spotlight on issues that would otherwise have remained in the shadows. In 2021, he was among five young journalists from across Africa selected to attend and cover the Global Landscapes Forum as Climate Tracker Media Fellows. Then he received a long-form storytelling grant and produced more in-depth pieces as a follow-up from the conference.

свернуть