The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), in collaboration with ONE and the Elliott family, seeks entries for the 2022 Michael Elliott Award for Excellence in African Storytelling. The contest is named after late British journalist and longtime ICFJ board member Michael Elliott.
The Award was established in honor of Michael Elliott, an outstanding editor, philanthropist, and former ICFJ director, whose life was a testament to the power of storytelling to bear witness to and improve the human condition. Elliott served as a distinguished editor at The Economist, Newsweek, and Time before becoming CEO of ONE. In 2016, he had spoken of his dream to establish an award that would bring together his belief in great journalism with his commitment to progress in Africa. This prestigious annual award honors emerging journalists in Africa who strive to strengthen people’s voices and illuminate the transformational change taking place on the continent.
In a special study tour organized by ICFJ, past winners have spent time in U.S. newsrooms in Washington, D.C., and New York City to learn new skills and share knowledge. In 2019, the winner also completed a two-week internship at The Economist’s headquarters in London, United Kingdom.
Past award winners include Mercy Juma and Dorcas Wangira of Kenya; Kiki Mordi, Abubakar Ibrahim, and Zainab Bala from Nigeria; and Bernadette Vivuya from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each was awarded a $5,000 cash prize. Wangira’s award-winning story, “The App and The Cut,” covered the harm caused by female genital mutilation and the hope offered by five high school girls who invented an app to connect vulnerable girls with resources and rescue centers. Juma’s story, “Teen Mums of Kwale,” tells of primary school girls whose families make the controversial choice to let them use contraceptives even though the practice is taboo in the Muslim communities of Kenya’s Kwale County. Ibrahim’s piece, “All That Was Familiar,” chronicles the struggle of two women –one from Cameroon and one from Nigeria — to find their loved ones who have been internally displaced by Boko Haram’s insurgency. Mordi’s story, “Sex for Grades,” exposes sexual harassment in African universities. Read more about Mordi, the 2020 award winner, here, and Bala and Vivuya, the 2021 award winners, here.
Due to ongoing travel restrictions as a result of COVID-19, the 2021 program took place virtually. ICFJ arranged a series of 10 virtual meetings over the course of the fellowship, featuring media experts from U.S. and U.K. newsrooms as well as former Michael Elliott Award winners. ICFJ tailored these sessions to the interests of the award winners. The sessions included meetings with journalists from prominent international outlets, such as the Washington Post, The Economist, Al Jazeera, and others. The winners were invited to take part in a virtual internship with prestigious media outlets where they will have access to editorial meetings and media experts and share their own experiences with top journalists.