Apply Africa Science Journalism Awards (ASJA) 2025 (Each winner will receive $2,000)

Apply Africa Science Journalism Awards (ASJA) 2025 | The Africa Science Journalism Awards (ASJA) 2025 portal are now open, This is your chance to showcase impactful storytelling, highlight African innovation, and inspire change through science communication. Be recognized for your work and join a network of passionate journalists shaping Africa’s future. Don’t miss this opportunity, Apply Here

The ASJA are dedicated to recognising African journalists who excel in covering health, climate change and environment, and agriculture – thematic focus areas for the SFA Foundation.

Read: Unlock your potential and amplify your voice

To further promote credible science communication, the awards include a category for scientists, aimed at amplifying reliable science voices and combating the misinformation and disinformation often found in discussions on science. Additionally, there is a category for editors, aimed at recognising editors who have championed science journalism within their newsrooms by encouraging and expanding coverage of science-related stories.

Important to Note:

•  Shortlisted candidates will participate in a specialised science journalism workshop
• Selected winners will have the unique opportunity to spend three days to a week at a partner academic or research institution
• either within their country or regionally, to gain deeper insights into a specific scientific subject of interest through direct engagement with scientists.

Program Objectives:

ASJA seeks to:

• Establish an award that honours excellence in science journalism, focusing on the SFA Foundation’s key thematic areas of health, climate change and environment, and agriculture.
• Expand the pool of science journalists across the continent
• Strengthen the capacity of African science journalists, enabling them to gain in-depth knowledge on specific scientific topics

Categories and Prizes:

• Best Story – Print and Broadcast 
  This category honours two seasoned journalists, one in print and one in broadcast, whose in-depth and compelling science reporting has significantly shaped public understanding of key issues such as health, climate change and environment, and agriculture. A seasoned journalist is defined as one with five or more years of professional experience in journalism and a proven track record of reporting on science-related topics. Each winner in this category will receive $1,500
• Early Career Journalist – Print or Broadcast
  This category recognises two promising journalists, one in print and one in broadcast, who are in the early stages of their careers and show exceptional potential in science reporting. An early career journalist is defined as one with less than five years of professional experience in journalism. Each winner in this category will receive $1,500.
• Innovator Award for Editors  
  This award acknowledges two editors who have championed science journalism within their newsrooms by encouraging and expanding coverage of science-related stories. Each winner will receive $2,000.
• Science Champion: Recognises a scientist or innovator who has effectively utilised online and traditional platforms to elevate the visibility of their work and promote science across the continent. The prize for this category is $1,500.

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Note:

• Winners will not only receive monetary prizes but also plaques, which will be presented at the World Conference of Science Journalists being held in Africa for the first time, in December 2025
• A pitch fee will also be provided, for any stories published as a result of this engagement.

Requirement:

• All categories are open to entries from print, broadcast, and online media.
• Submissions must align with the SFA Foundation’s thematic areas of health, climate and environment, and agriculture.
• Applicants may submit only one entry in the journalist categories (either Best Story or Early Career Journalist), not both. This distinction ensures a clear separation between seasoned and early-career journalists.
• Applicants in the journalist category may also submit a separate entry for the Editor’s Award category if they meet the eligibility criteria.
• Each applicant may submit one entry per category in the Editor’s Award and Science Champion categories.

Eligibility:

• Submissions must have been published between January 2024 and June 30th, 2025
• Open to journalists who are citizens or permanent residents of an African country, and who are permanently or primarily resident in Africa, working in local or international print, broadcast, or online media. Submissions may be published by either local or international outlets, provided the reporting is rooted in the African context.
• Entries must focus on health, climate and environment, or agriculture, as outlined by the SFA Foundation’s thematic areas.
• Editors applying for the Editor’s Award must represent publications based only in Africa.

Submission Guidelines:

Applicants are required to submit their entries as follows:

• Best News Story: 1 story
• Early Career Journalist: 1 story
• Editor’s Award: List of stories published within the stated period that shows commitment to science journalism
• Science Champion: 1 story

How to Apply

All entries must be submitted through the Agaseke Grants Management System (Agaseke GMS

Application Deadline: 4 July 2025, 1700HRS, East African Time (EAT)