DAME INVITES ENTRIES FOR 34TH EDITION IN 25 CATEGORIES

The Trustees of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) Trust Fund, Africa’s longest running media awards programme, invite entries for works done and published in 2024, for the 34th edition of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) in the following categories:

Reporting (12): Business Reporting, Child Friendly Reporting, Education Reporting, Energy Reporting, Health Reporting, Investigative Reporting, Judicial Reporting, Lagos Reporting, Nutrition Reporting, Radio Reporting, Solid Mineral Reporting, Sports Reporting and Television Reporting

Commentary (3): Editorial Cartooning, Editorial Writing and Informed Commentary

Documentary Drama (3): Radio Drama, Television Drama and Television Documentary

Aesthetics (4): Best Designed Newspaper, Best Media Website, Child Friendly Photography and News Photography

Overall Awards (3): Child Friendly Medium, Newspaper of the Year, Editor of the Year

Entries should be uploaded to the DAME website – www.dameawards.com – on or before the close of business on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

1.   Entries in the Reporting categories should conform to DAME’s ABCADER principle of: Accuracy, Balance, Contextual Analysis, Depth of Research/Investigation, Engaging use of language, and Relevance of subject.

2.   Entries in the Commentary category (Editorial Writing and Informed Commentary) will be judged on the basis of Subject, Substance, Significance, Structure, Style and Size. Works to be entered for this category must therefore have these essential sextets.

3.   An entry can only be entered in ONE category. Series will count as one entry. No one should enter more than two entries in any category.

4.   Any significant challenge to the honesty, accuracy or fairness of an entry such as published rejoinders, corrections and retractions, should be addressed in the cover letter.

First held in 1992, DAME is a not-for-profit trust established to enhance professionalism in the Nigerian media. Apart from the 26 uninterrupted annual awards presentations to date, it holds periodic trainings for media professionals.

Best of luck!

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

See author's posts