The BBC is seeking a
rising star of African journalism for the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award, now
in its fourth year.
Journalists from across the continent are invited to apply
for the award, which aims to uncover and promote fresh talent from Africa.
The winner will spend three months at the BBC headquarters
in London, gaining skills and experience.
Applications close on 23 March 2018 at 23:59 GMT.
The award was established to honour Komla Dumor, an
exceptional Ghanaian broadcaster and presenter for BBC World News, who died
suddenly aged 41 in 2014.
This year's award is being launched from the Ghanaian
capital Accra.
Komla Dumor was a journalist of Africa. His passion was
to tell African stories to the world with honesty and integrity.
It’s a legacy that the BBC wants to continue.
The BBC World News Komla Dumor Award will be made to an
outstanding individual living and working in Africa, who combines strong
journalism skills, on air flair, and an exceptional talent in telling African
stories with the ambition and potential to become a star of the future.
Main Responsibilities
The winner of the BBC World News Komla Dumor award will
receive a once-in-a-lifetime training and development opportunity with the BBC
in London, starting in early September 2018 and running for three
months. Working with teams from across BBC News, the winner will produce
an African story for the BBC and have their story and their voice shared across
the continent and the world. They will be supported by a high-level BBC
mentor and attend courses run by the BBC’s world-class training department, the
BBC Academy.
The BBC will pay for the winner’s flights to and from the UK
and for their visa. We will also arrange and pay for the winner’s
accommodation in London during their placement. The winner will receive £2,000
per month for the three month placement to cover their living expenses and a
one-off payment of £5,000 as a contribution towards loss of salary in their
home country. Some of the above may be subject to taxation (and
deductions will be made as appropriate).
The Ideal Candidate
To apply for this prestigious award, you must be currently
living and working as a journalist in Africa.
You must also have the following skills and experience:
- Excellent
journalism skills, including in digital and social media.
- Broadcasting
experience is preferable.
- An
excellent broadcasting voice and strong presenting skills with the ability
to perform at the microphone with flair.
- The
ability to identify and pitch a strong original African story idea,
aligned to the BBC editorial
guidelines http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/
- Wide
and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the African continent,
including politics, business, culture, history and sport.
- Fluency
in English as a first or equivalent language.
Additional requirements for all applicants
- You
must provide a CV (maximum two pages) / complete a careers hub profile.
- You
must hold or be able to obtain by 1st March 2018 a passport that is
valid until at least 31st January 2019.
- You
must not be a current or former member of BBC staff.
- If
successful, your employer must be willing to release you for three months
from September 2018 for you to travel on your own to take up your
placement in London.
- The
visa requires that you hold a degree or are studying towards a degree
equivalent to a UK Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university.
- References,
proof of employment, birth certificate, passport, an appropriate UK visa
and proof of level of English will be required from shortlisted
candidates.
Terms and conditions
- You must
provide the BBC with your name, email and postal address if you wish to
enter for this award.
- The
BBC will only ever use your personal details for the purposes of
administering this award, and will not publish them or provide them to
anyone without your permission.
- The
deadline for receiving entries for the award is final. This is 23.59 hours
on 22nd March 2018. No entries received after this date will be
considered.
- The
BBC will not be liable for any costs incurred in the application process
for this award.
- The
BBC does not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries. Proof of
sending is not proof of receipt. No responsibility is accepted for
incomplete entries or entries made fraudulently.
- This
award is not open to employees of the BBC, any person directly involved in
the BBC or the running of the competition.
- The
judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into
thereafter.
- The
BBC reserves the right to use the names and images of shortlisted
candidates in publicity material.
- The
award winner will be contacted personally.
- The
award must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. There will be no
cash alternative.
- The
BBC reserves the right to cancel this award scheme at any stage, if deemed
necessary in its opinion, and if circumstances arise outside of its
control.
- The
awardee must be able to secure an appropriate UK visa, which the BBC will
arrange and pay for on the awardee’s behalf. The BBC will withdraw
the offer of a placement, if an appropriate UK visa cannot be obtained.
- The
awardee assigns all copyright or other intellectual property rights in the
contribution they supply to the BBC as a result of placement.
- The
awardee grants the BBC the unlimited right to edit, copy, alter, add to,
take from, adapt or translate the contributions and, with regard to such
contributions and any BBC content in which they may have been included,
waives irrevocably any ‘moral rights’ they may have under any laws of any
jurisdiction.
- The
BBC reserves the right to withdraw the award at any stage if the awardee
brings the BBC into disrepute.
- The
awardee is expected to return to their home country at the end of their
BBC placement.
- This
award is administered by the BBC.
- Entrants
will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to agree to be bound by
them when entering for this award.
The award entries will be judged and the winner decided by:
- Professor
Audrey Gadzekpo – Senior Lecturer in Communications at University
of Ghana
- Jonathan
Munro – Head of Newsgathering in News and Current Affairs
- Alice
Muthengi – Senior Broadcast Journalist – BBC African Service
Please ensure you read the terms and conditions before
applying.
