Entries open for ATW Media Awards 2025 (Africa)

Through their work, writers, journalists, photographers and filmmakers connect Africa’s remarkable destinations with global audiences.

Following on the amazing response to the inaugural awards in 2024, it’s another chance to honour those who bring Africa’s travel stories to life – from thought-provoking features and investigative reporting to breathtaking images that capture the continent’s endless possibilities.

Categories

• Sustainability Feature Award: Recognising outstanding journalism that charts Africa’s path to sustainability, this award celebrates compelling pieces that spotlight eco-innovation, community impact, and transformative conservation initiatives across the African travel industry.
  • Feature must be focused on a sustainability issue or initiative in African travel.
  • Provides in-depth analysis or investigative reporting.
  • Highlights innovative solutions, impactful sustainability practices, or inspiring individuals/organisations.
  • Inspires and educates audiences about sustainability in travel.
• Visual Tourism Award: The Visual Tourism Awards celebrates visual storytellers who capture Africa’s soul through a unique lens: photographers and digital artists whose talent presents the beauty, culture and spirit of Africa in a whole new light!
  • Photo or artwork must depict an aspect related to African tourism.
  • Captions should be unique and descriptive.
  • Judging is based on the photo or artwork’s quality, composition, originality, and emotional resonance.
• Tourism News Award: The Tourism News Award recognises journalistic excellence in Africa’s travel and tourism space, celebrating sharp, insightful coverage of the events, trends, challenges and breakthroughs shaping the industry.
  • Content must focus on a significant development, event, or issue in African tourism.
  • Demonstrates solid journalism ethics, including accuracy, fairness, and impartiality.
  • Provides valuable insights and analysis on the reported event.
• Destination Feature Award: The Destination Feature Award celebrates storytellers who put African destinations on the map! The writers or visual content creators who dig deep beneath the surface to capture the very heart of a place, diving into its culture, heritage, and attractions – inspiring others to do the same.
  • Focuses on a specific African destination.
  • Provides a comprehensive understanding of the destination.
  • Captures the unique culture, history, natural beauty, or attractions of the destination.
• Young Talent Award: The ‘Young Talent’ Award uncovers fresh talent, recognising up-and-coming writers, photojournalists or digital content creators who are ready to make their mark in the tourism industry!
  • The article, feature, photograph or video must be produced by a student or young professional under the age of 25.
  • The work must focus on one aspect of African tourism, for example, a news story, destination feature, sustainability feature or visual celebration of African travel.
  • Judging will be based on creativity, demonstration of new ideas or a new way of thinking, and quality of storytelling or visual inspiration.

Eligibility Criteria

• The awards are open to all media practitioners including journalists, bloggers, videographers, and photographers who produce content related to African tourism.

Submission Criteria

• Sustainability Feature Award:
  • The submission must be a feature-length article, video, podcast, or blog post published or broadcast within the qualifying year.
  • The content must focus on a sustainability issue or initiative within the African travel sector.
  • The feature must provide in-depth analysis or investigative reporting on the chosen topic.
  • It should highlight innovative solutions, inspiring individuals or organisations, or impactful sustainability practices.
  • The feature should inspire and educate audiences about sustainability in travel and its importance in Africa.
  • Judging will be based on quality of storytelling, research, creative presentation, and impact on audience.
• Visual Tourism Award:
  • The photo or artwork submission must have been taken within the qualifying year.
  • The photo or artwork must depict a place, event, person, or aspect related to African tourism.
  • Entrants can submit multiple photos and artworks, but each one must be accompanied by a unique, descriptive caption.
  • Judging will be based on the photo or artwork’s quality, composition, originality, and its ability to capture the essence of the subject matter.
  • The photo or artwork should evoke an emotional response and inspire travel or a greater understanding of African tourism.
  • For photo submissions, all photos shall comply with the following requirements:
    • Photos in JPEG format with high quality of compression (but not more than 5 MB).
    • Photos are to be uploaded in their original size. The Participant must not scale the photo or otherwise change its resolution.
    • ICC profile is to be embedded in the photo.
    • Only images with a single exposure and in One (1) frame may be accepted.
    • Only original camera images are allowed to participate in the Awards.
    • Minimum adjustments of exposure and colour and cropping are allowed.
• Tourism News Award:
  • The submission must be a news article, video, podcast, or blog post published or broadcast within the qualifying year.
  • The content must focus on a significant development, event, or issue in the African tourism industry.
  • It must demonstrate solid journalism ethics, including accuracy, fairness, and impartiality.
  • The news piece should provide valuable insights and analysis, helping readers or viewers understand the implications of the reported event.
  • Judging will be based on the timeliness, relevance, depth of reporting, and impact on the tourism industry.
• Destination Feature Award:
  • The submission must be a feature-length article, video, podcast, or blog post published or broadcast within the qualifying year.
  • The content must focus on a specific African destination.
  • The feature should provide in-depth coverage, offering readers or viewers a comprehensive understanding of the destination.
  • The entry should capture the unique culture, history, natural beauty, and/or attractions of the destination.
  • Judging will be based on the depth of research, quality of storytelling, creative presentation, and its ability to inspire travel to the featured destination.
• Young Talent Award:
  • The submission must be an article, feature, video, podcast, or blog post published or broadcast within the qualifying year.
  • The content must focus on a significant development, event, or issue in the African tourism industry – or celebrate an African destination.
  • It must demonstrate solid journalism ethics, including accuracy, fairness, and impartiality.
  • Judging will be based on the creativity, relevance, depth of new ideas or new perspectives revealed in the piece.

For more information, visit Africa Travel Week.