For the last four years, African Women in Media has held its annual conference and Pitch Zone. AWiM2020 goes virtual this year, and so does the Pitch Zone. Sponsored by the European Union, attendees of AWiM2020 Virtual will be able to submit written or video pitches to any of the five categories. The winners will each received a $2,000 reporting grant to produce the story they pitched.
The five categories are:
- Green transition and energy access
- Digital transformation
- Sustainable growth and jobs
- Peace and governance
- Migration and mobility
“The EU Delegation to the African Union is pleased to partner with the Africa Union Commission and African Women in Media for the Pitch Zone. The EU is a global front-runner in promoting gender equality and reaching gender equality in and through the media is essential to ensure that journalism expresses the views of all society. I am therefore very much look forward to reading and watching the in-depth stories that female media practitioners will develop. I am confident that this occasion will be steppingstone for women in media to be champions of raising continental, multilateral matters and the EU-AU partnership with a focused and critical eye.”, said Ms Birgitte Markussen, EU Ambassador to the Africa Union.
“The Pitch Zone for us at AWiM is our way of putting words into action. Our research shows that allocation of resources to produce stories are often gendered in newsrooms. The reporting grant is our way of ensuring that women in media have the opportunity to produce the kind of stories that will give them the visibility and recognition they deserve”, said Dr Yemisi Akinbobola, Co-Founder & CEO, African Women in Media.
To submit a pitch to any of the five categories visit: awim2020.africanwomeninmedia.com/pitch-zone/
On the page is a recorded workshop on “Pitching for Journalists”, led by four leading African editors.
About African Women in Media:
African Women in Media is a nongovernmental organisation with a vision that one day African women will have equal access to representation and opportunities in media industries and media content. Our aim is to contribute to the creation of enabling environments for African women who work in media industries, and to change the way African women are represented in media content. It does this through research, training and partnerships that impact positively the way media functions in relation to African women. Through AWiM events we create opportunities for knowledge exchange, building networks, and economic empowerment of women in media.
About African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). The main objectives of the OAU were to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonisation and apartheid; to promote unity and solidarity amongst African States; to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development; to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and to promote international cooperation.
About the European Union Delegation to the African Union
The European Union (EU) Delegation to the African Union (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) was created in January 2008 – in the aftermath of the adoption of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, at the Lisbon Summit in 2007. The EU Delegation to the AU operates in an environment which includes 55 AU member states, the AU Commission and the AU bodies, including the AU Peace and Security Council, EU countries and other governmental and international partners of the AU. Its mission includes strengthening EU-AU dialogue on political issues of mutual concern as well as longer-term cooperation and institution building.