The race for Excellence in Journalism Awards (EJAT) for 2012 is on.

Kajubi Mukajanga the MCT secretary announce the opening of the race to the journalist.

The chairperson of the organizing Committee of the EJAT,  Kajubi Mukajanga declared  at a press conference  held  on October 10,2012: from today  journalists  should  submit  entries for the competition.

Mukajanga who is also the Executive Secretary of the Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) said the deadline for submission of entries is December 31 and the Gala Night for announcing awarding the winners is March 29, 2013.

There will be 18 categories for the grab.

The  MCT  Regulations and Standards Manager,  Pili Mtambalike , listed the   categories as  Good Governance;  Gender;  Economy, Trade and  Agriculture; Environment; Health – Reproductive Health especially for the youth and Maternal  Death.

Other categories are HIV and Aids; Education; Best photographers – Still photos and Cameramen - video; Cartoonist; science and Technology; Reporting People with disabilities; Disaster and Conflicts; Malaria; Tourism and Conservation; Life Time Achievement Award and Open category.

Mukajanga clarified that in the HIV and Aids category the entries should not be confined on the virus but should extensively cover the problem encompassing economic and social impacts.

“We need to cover it broadly and that is why we did not put HIV/ Aids in the Health category”, Mukajanga elaborated.

Entries on Telecommunication which in the past had a category, this time they will compete in the Science category as the sponsor for the Telecommunication category  has withdrawn.

As for Tourism which in 2011 EJAT had three categories, this year it will be one category of Tourism and Conservation after the sponsor of the categories had withdrawn.

Mukajanga clarified that” if you really have a good piece- investigative and thoroughly researched and worked out  article on tourism and on conservation bring it to us”.

“But if you have a public relations story on tourism you know where to take it”, Mukajanga quipped with a light touch.

This is the fourth time the competition to award journalists who have excelled in the profession is held.

Since the first EJAT in 2009 entries have been on the increase from 304 to 437 in 2010 and 772 in 2011.

At the press conference all EJAT partners appealed to journalists to submit more entries.

The partners include the Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA), Tanzania Sports Writers Association (TASWA), Media Institute for Southern Africa Tanzania Chapter (MISA- Tan), Tanzania Editors Forum(TEF), Tanzania Media Fund (TMF),Hakielimu, John Hopkins University, AMREF- Tanzania, Association of Journalists Against Aids, BEST-AC and ANSAF.

 Source: MCT