Since its launch in 2016, the annual awards have grown significantly, with the number of applicants increasing from 16 to over 150 this year. A total of 75 journalists recognised to date.

The event, which saw over 150 journalists from various media outlets in attendance, was supported by key partners such as the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), the Swedish Embassy, Amplify Change, the Packard Foundation, and the Generation Gender Program.

The journalists from radio, television, and online were recognised for their outstanding coverage of stories on family planning, maternal and newborn health, safe abortion, HIV/AIDS and other STIs, teen pregnancy, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, as well as sexual health and education among others.

The awards

The overall winner in each category received Rwf800,000 in cash and an HP laptop valued at Rwf900,000 laptop. The First runner-up received a monetary prize of Rwf600,000, while the second runner-up received Rwf400,000. Both the winners of the first and second runner-up positions were also granted a smartphone valued at Rwf450,000.

Television category

In the TV category, the overall winner was Aime Beaute Bushashi from RBA, recognised for her impactful story that explored the tracking of the menstrual cycle.

The first runner-up in this category was TV1’s Dieudonne Nshimiyimana, who reported on the case of a woman who was mistakenly prescribed Anti-Retroviral drugs (ARVs).