By Peter Omopo
The organisers of the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) have announced the commencement of entries for the 34th edition of the prestigious annual event, which will honour outstanding media works published in 2024.
In a statement issued on Monday, DAME’s Programme Manager, Deji Olonode, said the awards—established in 1991—remain Africa’s longest-running and most consistent media recognition platform, dedicated to celebrating professional excellence across journalism and publishing.
The 2025 edition will feature 12 categories spanning print, broadcast, and online journalism, including business reporting, education reporting, child-friendly reporting, energy reporting, Lagos reporting, sports reporting, health reporting, investigative reporting, and judicial reporting. Other categories include best-designed newspaper, best media website, editorial cartooning, editorial writing, informed commentary, child-friendly photography, and news photography.
Overall honours such as Child-Friendly Medium of the Year, Newspaper of the Year, and Editor of the Year will also be awarded.
Organisers noted that all reporting entries will be judged using DAME’s ABCADER principle—accuracy, balance, contextual analysis, depth of research, engaging use of language, and relevance of subject—while aesthetic categories will be assessed based on how art enhances editorial presentation.
Individual winners are expected to receive a DAME plaque, cash prize, certificate of merit, a professional tool such as a laptop or tablet, and a book. Institutional winners will be presented with a plaque and certificate of merit.
Entries must be works published in 2024 and should be submitted via the DAME website (www.dameawards.com) on or before the close of business on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.
