Call for Entries for 2025 MISA Malawi Media Awards

MISA Malawi is inviting interested paid up members to submit their published stories for the 2025 MISA

Malawi Annual Media Awards. The awards will be given out as part of the celebrations to mark the 2025 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), scheduled for Nkhatabay in the northern region on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

The awards will include two new categories:

(a)   Best Inclusive Elections Reporting Journalist of the Year Award: This award aims to promote the participation of women, youth and people with disabilities in politics and governance issues ahead of September 2025 General Elections.

The award will be sponsored by OXFAM and WOLREC as part of the EU Funded 50-50 Elections Project. The award will run up to 2026.

(b)   Best Labor Laws & Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Journalist of the Year Award: This award aims to recognise outstanding stories which promote decent employment practices and workplace safety, and health standards. Among others, the award will focus on:

1. Raising awareness and influencing positive change in the labour and OSH landscape.
2. Supports implementation of labour laws and practices in Malawi and address decent work deficits in the MSME sector.
3. Issues faced by workers and fostering a culture of workplace safety and compliance with labour regulations.

The award will be funded by GOPA WorldWide Consultants under the SME Policy component of the EU Funded Zantchito Skills for Jobs Programme.

On this basis, the 2025 MISA Malawi Annual Media Awards will have the following categories:

1. a) New Categories:

• Best Inclusive Elections Reporting Journalist of the Year Award: Print, Electronic and Community
• Best Labour Laws & Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Journalist of the Year Award: Print and Electronic

1. b) MISA Malawi Traditional Awards
2. Print and electronic 

• Investigative Journalist of the Year Award
• Business and Economics Journalist of the Year Award  
• Responsible Business Journalist of the Year Award
• Democracy and Good Governance Journalist of the Year Award
• Human Rights Journalist of the Year Award
• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Journalist of the Year Award
• Urban Water Development Journalist of the Year
• ICT journalist of the Year Award
• Public Infrastructure Management Journalist of the Year Award
• Anti – Corruption Award
• Best Sexual and Reproductive Health Journalist of the Year Award
• Quality and Standards Journalist of the Year
• Supply Chain of Essential Medicines Award
• Best Arts Journalist of the Year Award
• Adult Literacy Education Journalist of the Year Award
• Disaster Risk Management Journalist of the Year Award

1. Combined print and electronic

• Sports Journalist of the Year Award –

        Photojournalist of the Year Award –

       Raphael Tenthani Columnist of the Year

• Early Childhood Development Journalist of the Year Award

1. c)MISA Malawi will also recognize the following categories:

• Overall Winner Award
• Life-time achiever Award
• Community Media House of the Year Award
• Print media house of the Year Award
• Electronic media house of the Year Award: Radio
• Electronic media house of the Year Award: Television
• Electronic media house of the Year Award: Online-

MISA Malawi members will be required to vote/nominate their respective winners under Lifetime Achiever and Print and Electronic Media House of the year awards. Entries for Ralph Tenthani Columnist of the year should be accompanied by motivations and samples of the nominees’ published works. These should be emailed to misamalawi@gmail.com on or before April 30, 2025.

Media houses are also free to nominate themselves for the Media House of the Year Award in line with the Rules and Regulations governing the awards in question.  The media house of the year awards will be open for nomination between 15^th and 30th April, 2025.

The MISA Malawi awards committee will evaluate entries based on the following:

• Impact
• Consistency
• Courage
• Investigation
• Gender awareness  
• Analysis 
• Relevance

The awards committee will accept entries published or aired between 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025. The deadline for receiving individual entries is March 31, 2025, and April 30, 2025, for Media House, Columnist and Lifetime Achiever Awards. Individuals can only send a maximum of two entries per category.

All entries should be scanned/recorded and emailed to misamalawi@gmail.com on or before the said deadlines.

Entries should be addressed to:

Secretary for the awards committee

MISA Malawi Secretariat

Mtolankhani House 

Off-Lilongwe Kasiya Road

Acacia, Lilaga Community

P.O. Box 30463,                                                           

Lilongwe 3       

For inquiries, please call the following numbers: +265 (0) 888 32 73 11 or +265 (0) 999 327 311