A panel of judges has commenced evaluating more than 1,200 entries submitted for the Media Council of Kenya’s 10th Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA).

The panel is made up of veteran journalists and media experts; Betty Dindi, Dr Rosemary Nyaole, Mwendwa Kiogora, Dr Jared Obuya, Eric Shimoli, David Okwemba and Owino Opondo.

The submitted stories will be subjected to a judging criterion premised on ethics and journalism principles by a seven-member panel drawn from seasoned editors and journalists as well as academics.

The judging process will take place in two phases. Phase one will have the nomination panel who will evaluate stories on the criteria of professional journalism ethics, creativity, diversity and public interest.

They will shortlist outstanding stories that will proceed to the second and final judging phase.

“The entries received this year show a remarkable increase compared to last year. We have received 340 for print, 308 for television, 346 for radio and 246 in the digital category”, said Media Council of Kenya CEO Mr David Omwoyo.

The Council has also noted the changing trend in the of submissions of stories where gender, health, and environment categories have the highest number of entries compared to last year.

“The increase is attributed to the grants programme offered under the Media Council’s Africa Media Academy which has enabled journalists to access mentors who have guided them on areas of focus when reporting on such stories”, said Mr Omwoyo.

The Annual Journalism Excellence Awards (AJEA) is a signature event of the Council which celebrates journalistic excellence and achievements in Kenya.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the awards to be held on the evening of 4th May 2022 as the culmination of the World Press Freedom Day 2022 activities.