By Deng Ghai Deng
At least, three journalists from No.1 Citizen Newspaper have been recognized in the 2nd Journalism Excellence Award 2024, by the Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS).
The awards ceremony, held on Friday in Juba, celebrated the achievements of outstanding journalists in ten categories, where Philip Buda Ladu and Kei Emmanuel Duku, while, Yiep Joseph emerged 2nd run-up.
Philip Buda Ladu, who won the Health Category, dedicates his award to citizens facing numerous health challenges in the country.
He emphases the importance of highlighting the plight of the grassroots communities, whose ordeals most often go unnoticed.
“I don’t take pride in this award but I rather take it as a motivation for me to use my journalistic skills to tell more natural stories at the grassroots for the citizens that continue to grapples with numerous health challenges,” Buda remarked.
He calls on media managers and proprietors to invest more in local journalists who can bring authentic stories from the grassroots to the forefront.
Meanwhile, Kei Emmanuel Duku, who won the award in the Culture, Youth, and Sports category, expressed gratitude, particularly as he had also submitted stories in other categories, including Climate Change.
“While I had hoped for recognition in the Climate Change category, this award in the Culture, Youth, and Sports category means a lot to me,” he said. “I dedicated this award to people with special needs, including pregnant women and lactating mothers, and children who face challenges watching football at the Juba National Stadium due to the lack of special seats for them.”
Duku appeals to UJOSS to consider creating a special category for journalists from South Sudan’s 10 states and 3 Administrative Areas in future editions, pointing out that all the winners this year were based in Juba.
Yiep Joseph secured second place after Denis Logonyi from VOA’s South Sudan In Focus (SSIF) in the Democracy and Election Category. Yiep expressed his deep gratitude.
“This award reaffirms the importance of covering elections and democracy in a country like ours, where the political landscape is evolving. As journalists, we have a responsibility to ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability in the electoral process,” he said.
Kiden Stela Mandela, Editor-in-Chief of No.1 Citizen Daily Newspaper, shared her excitement over the achievement of her team members.
“I am very proud of Buda, Kei, and Yiep for their outstanding work. Their hard work, commitment, and passion for journalism have truly paid off. These awards reflect the dedication of our entire team to produce accurate and impactful stories that contribute to the development of South Sudan.” Stella said.
UJOSS President Patrick Oyet congratulated all the winners during the ceremony, urging them to continue striving for excellence.
“Your hard work and dedication are evident, and you are setting an example for the future of journalism in South Sudan,” Oyet said.
Oyet emphasized the importance of professional journalism in shaping South Sudan’s future and encouraged journalists to push the boundaries of excellence to gain regional and international recognition.
Each of the Journalism Excellence Award 2024 winners was given a brand new laptop computer as a prize.
The 2nd Journalism Excellence Award 2024 recognized journalists in 10 categories, and the event was supported by JICA, UNESCO, and the Embassies of Canada, the UK, and the US, among others.