2026 Sikuvile finalists announced after 400-plus entries
The South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef) and Standard Bank have announced the finalists for the 2026 Standard Bank Sikuvile Journalism Awards. The winners will be revealed at a Gala in Johannesburg on 3 July 2026.
Source: www.unsplash.com
Hundreds of entries
This year’s competition attracted more than 400 entries from journalists and media practitioners across South Africa. See finalists here.
The Journalist of the Year category will be contested by Sandile Ndlovu of TimesLIVE, Jeff Wicks and Sikonathi Mantshantsha of News24, and Cleopatra Jones of SABC's Cutting Edge. Meanwhile, Our City News made a particularly strong showing in the Rising Star category, accounting for three of the five finalists: Karabelo Phakoe, Kofi Zwana and Cwenga Kotu Rammopo.
The judging panels described the 2026 competition as one of the most fiercely contested in recent years, with the overall quality of submissions surpassing previous editions of the awards. In several categories, judges found themselves engaged in lengthy and robust deliberations as they attempted to separate outstanding work from exceptional work.
The challenge was particularly evident in the Business Journalism, Investigative Journalism, and Juby Mayet Rising Star of the Year categories.
Similarly, the Features, Features Photography, and Sports Photography categories each produced five finalists, reflecting the depth of talent and excellence displayed by journalists and photographers throughout the country.
Judges remarked that reaching consensus on the finalists and eventual winners was no easy task. In many instances, the margins separating the leading entries were exceptionally narrow, resulting in rigorous debate and careful consideration before final decisions could be reached.
“The quality of work submitted this year demonstrates that South African journalism continues to produce impactful, courageous and innovative reporting despite the many challenges facing the profession. Several categories were so competitive that judges wrestled extensively with their decisions, with outstanding entries narrowly missing out on finalist positions,” said the convener judge Dr Dinesh Balliah, also the director at the Wits Centre for Journalism at Wits University.
Further development
While the awards celebrate excellence, the judging process also highlighted areas requiring further development. After careful consideration, the judges decided not to award winners in the Indigenous Language Reporting category and the Publisher/Manager of the Year category. The decision was based on the absence of entries that met the standard of excellence expected of the Sikuvile Awards.
The organisers expressed hope that media houses and journalists will seize future opportunities to strengthen participation and raise the quality of submissions in these categories.
“We have been proud partners of the Sikuvile Awards for over 15 years, and we are encouraged by this year’s excellent interest demonstrated in the sizeable number of entries. The finalists represent some of the country’s finest journalistic talent and embody the critical role of journalism in informing the public, strengthening democracy, and holding power to account,” says Virginia Magapatona, group head of communications at Standard Bank.