This is a description of the 20 competition categories in the Uganda National Journalism Awards, 2015.

Individual or shared byline entries can be made for all categories.

If you need further clarification on the awards, please write to awards [at] acme-ug [dot] org, subject line: Uganda National Journalism Awards 2015.

Agriculture reporting

This award will recognize the best agriculture writing or production in Uganda. Entries must have farming practice, agriculture policy, trends, research, innovation or trade at their core. Broader themes of hunger, nutrition, climate change and environment may be accepted if the entries demonstrate their link and impact on the agriculture sector.

Arts and culture journalism

The award for this category recognizes articles or broadcasts that provide excellent context and background to artistic critique and offer nuances and provocative insights into the arts and culture sector. Judges will acknowledge stories that are informed by in-depth knowledge of the historical, political and aesthetic forces that shape arts and culture in Uganda.

Business, economic and financial reporting

This award will be given to a business, economic or financial news story that demonstrates excellence, creativity and journalistic merit.

Commentary and opinion

Entries are open for any writing by an individual that expresses a personal point of view, including columns, blogs and other forms of opinion, but not editorials. The entries may be analytical interpretive, humorous, or a combination of such qualities. Items may be submitted by full time journalists, freelance journalists and regular columnists.

Data journalism

This award honors work that best features and presents data journalism on print, broadcast or digital. The award will focus on the effectiveness of the data to tell a story, how well the data are presented to users, the journalistic impact and relevance of the data, and the design and functionality of the data presentation.

Editorial cartooning

This award will be granted to an entry that displays visual commentary featuring art, argument and humor. The editorial cartoons must have appeared in a Ugandan print or online magazine or newspaper.

Each cartoonist is allowed to submit one entry consisting of three separate editorial cartoons. The entry will be judged on this show of work. Each entry should be accompanied by a short explanation of the story and how it developed. Details should include the story’s chronology and circumstances affecting its gathering and presentation.

Energy, oil, gas and mineral resources

This award will be given to excellent reporting that enhances understanding of Uganda’s energy and natural resources sector. The subject may be on any form of energy—oil, gas, nuclear, water, solar, mineral resources, etc.

Environment reporting

This award will be given to a story that makes an exceptional contribution to public awareness and understanding of environmental issues. The report or series represents not just exceptional journalism, but also reporting with the potential to bring constructive change.

Explanatory reporting

This award is for exemplary in-depth analysis and clear presentation of complex issues. Entries should explain a relevant, meaningful and multifaceted subject to audiences through clear storytelling and presentation. Entries will be judged on the quality of journalism, creative and appropriate uses of media.

Feature writing

The award will be granted to the feature treatment of any human interest, lifestyle or news topic. Entries can be profiles, interviews, news features, trend stories or narrative stories.

Health reporting

The winning entry to this award will be judged on the excellence in covering a wide range of issues including public health, medical research, the business of health care, disease and health ethics.

Investigative reporting

This award recognizes excellence in reporting, through one’s own initiative and work product, matters of importance to the audience. In many cases, the subjects of the reporting wish maters under scrutiny to remain undisclosed. The reporting must not be based on an investigation made by someone else. It is permissible to use excerpts from official records and investigations, but only incidentally and not as primary proof of the investigative conclusion.

Justice, law and order

Judging of this award will be based on reporting that shows an in-depth knowledge of the full range of issues in Uganda’s justice system and use a journalist’s contacts to bring readers the full story. The award-winning journalist will go the beyond the crime statistics and tell the story of the victims of crime.

Multimedia journalism

The award for this category will be presented to a journalist who makes the best use of new media/multimedia technology in their coverage of a single feature story or special project series. To qualify, a journalist must demonstrate the use of no less than three distinct tools in storytelling. Attention will be given to the creative use of new media and how well it contributes to the reader’s in-depth understanding of the issue.

Multimedia components might include (but are not limited to) graphics, photo galleries, video or interactive elements. Time stamps should be visible on these entries. URLs should be provided.

National news reporting

This award will be granted to a distinguished reporting on national affairs with significant impact on Uganda. Two separated prizes for broadcast and print entries will be granted.

Photojournalism

The photojournalism award will be given to a photographer who displays excellence and creativity in the visual presentation of a breaking news, a feature or a subject of human interest with journalistic merit. The photos must have been first published or broadcast by Ugandan media. A photographer may submit a one photograph for a single story or no more than four photographs for a story series or feature.

Political reporting

This award will go to a journalist whose coverage helps develop a unique understanding of politics, key players and the political process. Judges will look for reporting that is particularly innovative, issue-focused and informs audiences about their democratic and political choices.

Local reporting

This prize will recognize the work of reporters based outside of Kampala who provide a clear understanding of events, issues and politics of importance to their town, districts or regions. It honors reporters who demonstrate excellence and versatility in covering local issues from a local angle.

Sports

This award will go to a journalist whose coverage explores new avenues and finds a new direction in reporting sports. It will also recognize a journalist who brings sporting occasions or sporting events to life with the quality of reporting and/or who produces agenda-setting news on subjects of great general interest.