Judges in the Newspaper Association of South Africa's annual Frewin, McCall and Joel Mervis competition were highly impressed with the level of innovation evident in this year's competition.

The awards, which have been in existence for a collective 120 years, recognise newspaper excellence in advertising, printing and production, layout and typography as well as the balance between the use of pictures and graphics.

Clive Loxton, the convenor of judges, said, "Considering this was a year of economic recession, it is amazing how little effect this had on the visual aspects of your craft. One would have expected more caution."

The panel of judges was comprised of Loxton, creative faculty head of the AAA School of Advertising; Logan Naidu, learnerships and apprenticeships specialist at Mappp-seta; Marilyn du Toit, lecturer in graphic design at the AAA School of Advertising; and Linda Rademan, lecturer in art direction at the AAA School of Advertising.

Finalists in the Frewin award category, which recognises urban daily newspapers with a circulation above 50,000, are, in no particular order:

• Beeld
• Cape Times.
• Daily News
• Die Burger

Finalists in the McCall award category, which honours urban daily newspapers with a circulation of 50,000 or less, are, in no particular order:

• Die Volksblad
• Pretoria News
• The Witness

The Joel Mervis award category was described by the judges as the section that not only had the most notable innovation, but the toughest contenders all vying for top honours. Finalists in this category, which recognises urban weekly newspapers irrespective of their circulation, are:

• City Press
• Mail & Guardian
• Naweek Beeld

The winners will be announced at the Mondi Shanduka Awards ceremony at Soccer City in Johannesburg on 5 May.

Judges in the annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards have been pleasantly surprised by the calibre of entries in this year's display of South African newspaper journalism.

After much anticipation, the shortlisted entries for the ninth annual Mondi Shanduka Newspaper Awards have been selected, following an intense judging session convened by Professor Guy Berger, head of journalism and media studies at Rhodes University.

Berger commented, "The judges were highly pleased at the general quality of the entries and affirmed their appreciation of the role of newspapers in South Africa." He was joined by Tyrone August, Martie Retief Meiring, Ebbe Dommisse, Tumi Makgabo, Irwin Manoim, Liesl Louw, David Wightman, Mandla Langa, Juby Mayet, Sophie Tema, Jabulani Sikhakhane, Paula Fray and Peter Magubane on the panel.

The 41 shortlisted candidates - comprising winners, finalists and commendees - were chosen from a total of 604 entries representing 34 newspapers. This year's competition attracted a wider variety of entrants, with an increase in entries from community papers and two in isiZulu.

Feature photography proved to be the most popular category with 90 entries. Feature writing was the next most popular, with 78 entries. Here, the judges noted, "Many of the features were of a very high standard. They were well-researched, and clearly reflected hard work and careful planning."

The judges have announced the following names, in no particular order, as shortlisted nominees:

• Adriaan Basson - ‘Series - Confed Cup security fiasco' and other articles (Mail & Guardian)
• Adrian de Kock - ‘Rough riding' (The Star)
• Alex Eliseev - ‘MEC and the murky Merc' and other articles (The Star)
• Alon Skuy - ‘Shober as a judge' (The Times)
• Angelique Serrao - ‘Bullying in schools' (The Star)
• Anton Vermeulen - ‘Stryd van die vaste vyf' (Sports 24)
• Brandan Reynolds - ‘2009... What a year' (Business Day)
• Brendan Boyle - ‘The loud, loutish dumbing down of government' (Sunday Times)
• Brian Hayward - ‘Tycoon's secret paradise' (The Herald)
• Colleen Dardagan - ‘Various articles - Durban Story' (The Mercury)
• Cuan Miles - ‘Eishkom - more pain for the people' and other entries (Daily Dispatch)
• Danie Toerien and Elsolet Joubert - ‘Agter die nuus. 13' (Sake24)
• Debbie van der Merwe - ‘Dankie vir die vis' and other entries (Rapport)
• Dudu Zitha and Jackie Mapiloko - ‘Survival of the fittest' (City Press)
• Felix Dlangamandla and Julian Rademeyer - ‘Perdfris Shaik!' (Rapport)
• Fred Kockott - ‘Shoot to kill' (Sunday Tribune)
• Gcina Ntsaluba - ‘Broken homes' (Daily Dispatch)
• Gert Coetzee - ‘Brandpunt - Rassiste anoniem biegsessie vir ongeneeslikes' (Volksblad)
• Halden Krog - ‘Fat cat' (The Times)
• Helen Walne - "Human League" column - ‘South Africa gives and she takes away' (Cape Argus)
• Herman Verwey - ‘Klein Mpho wou nie haar eerste paar skoene uittrek' (Beeld)
• Jaco Grobbelaar - various (Die Burger)
• Jacqueline Aires - ‘Rites and wrongs: probing initiation' (Sunday Independent)
• Jennifer Bruce - ‘Last call of the sea' and other articles (The Star)
• Jonathan Shapiro - ‘Vote ANC 99 - 09' and other entries (Mail & Guardian) and ‘Tripartitecycle' (Sunday Times)
• Lucky Sindane - ‘Colours of loyalty' (Mail & Guardian)
• Matthew le Cordeur - ‘67 ways to help your neighbour' (The Witness)
• Michael Bleby - ‘Reflections on an inner-city dilemma' (The Weekender)
• Nikiwe Bikitsha - ‘Google me, baby' and other entries (Mail & Guardian)
• Oliver Roberts - ‘The quest to be one' (Sunday Times)
• Patrick Bulger - ‘The late night news' column - ‘Fighting talk from Bush and Russia' (The Weekender)
• Prince Chauke - ‘Look how I'm beating Aids!' and other articles (Sunday Sun)
• Rob Rose - ‘Match fixing' and other articles (Sunday Times)
• Solly Maphumulo - ‘Makhumalo: An African love story' (The Star)
• Stephan Hofstatter - ‘The real trouble with land reform' (The Weekender); ‘Fat cats milk R100-m fund' and other articles (Sunday Times)
• Stephan Hofstatter and Rob Rose - ‘Exposed: deadly taxi racket' (Sunday Times)
• Sue Blaine - ‘What's an idea worth?' (The Weekender)
• Thanduxolo Jika - ‘Top ANC official is ‘dead' according to his ID' and other articles (Daily Dispatch)
• Ziphozonke Lushaba - ‘Cops brutality' and other articles (The Star)

 

In celebration of the upcoming 2010 Fifa World Cup, the venue for the awards ceremony on May 5 has been confirmed as Soccer City in Johannesburg, where the winners will receive a Mondi Shanduka Premier Award and R15,000 in cash.

Interviews with members of the judging panel, as well as photographs of the judging session, are available on request.

Queries:

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Thobile Zulu

thobile@frogcomm.co.za

011.894.1901

079 442 4825