USPA to reward greatness with Media Excellence Awards 

To acknowledge and reward excellence, the Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) has announced that they will start awarding the most excelling sports journalists.

The inaugural edition of the awards will be awarded in 2021 with an awards gala scheduled for December 2021, and is open to all sports journalists currently working for local media; both print and broadcast.

According to USPA, the awards will recognise the exceptional work done by sports journalists and will encourage sports journalists to uplift their reporting standards and provide information that will be beneficial to consumers of sports news and reports.

USPA president Patrick Kanyomozi said that the awards also provide ‘a great opportunity for sports journalists to showcase their work’ and also ‘improve the standards of sports journalism in the country’.

“The Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA) is pleased to announce the introduction of the USPA Media Excellence Awards 2021,” Kanyomozi said during the launch of the awards.

“As a sports journalists’ association, we are committed to improving the standards of sports journalism in the country.”

“Thus, the awards are a great opportunity for sports journalists to showcase their work and also be recognised for their exceptional effort in delivering sports information,” he added.

The awards shall recognise work done and published between November 1, 2020 and October 31, 2021 with submission of entries scheduled to start on November 1, 2021 and shall end on November 10, 2021 via an online portal.

“We encourage all members of the association and other sports journalists to participate by submitting their work.”

“USPA believes the awards will strengthen the association’s objective of developing the sports media sector,” he continued.

Up to eight categories have been listed for 2021, with most of the categories to be awarded named after some of the departed colleagues as a mark of respect for their contribution towards sports journalism.

THE CATEGORIES FOR THE USPA MEDIA EXCELLENCE AWARDS:

The Bashir Khan Lugudo Award – Best Sports Feature (TV, Radio, Print and Online

The James Opoka Award – Best Sports News Report; Broadcast (Radio and Television)

The Ediriisa Mayanja Njuki Award – Best News Report; Print

The John Bugembe Ssenkubuge Award – Best Sports Photograph

The Samuel Wossita Award – Best Digital Sports Production (Websites, E-Journals, Podcasts)

The Kevin Aliro Award – Investigative Sports Report

The Paul Waibale Snr Award – Sports Column Writing

The Andrew Luwandagga Award – Lifetime Service