Zimpapers Logo

Sports Reporter

THE Sports Journalists Association of Zimbabwe (Northern Region) will this evening hold the 2021 SPOJA Awards at a hotel in Harare.

The banquet will be held from 6pm-8:30pm. 

The country’s biggest and most prestigious sports journalists awards are returning after a two-year absence, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services,  Kindness Paradza, is expected to officiate as guest of honour at this fourth edition. 

Critically, the awards ceremony will be held on the eve of the World Sports Journalists Day, which is celebrated across the globe on July 2, annually, to recognise the importance of the sports media.

The awards seeks to award outstanding journalists for the work done between January 1, 2020 and November 30, 2021.

SPOJA Northern Region secretary-general, Francis Nyamutsamba, said the awards have grown in leaps and bounds over the last five years and this year there are nine categories. SPOJA Northern Region are also set to announce the inaugural inductees into the newly established Hall of Fame.

“There are nine categories available this year. The organisers received an overwhelming response despite the Covid-19 pandemic which badly affected the sports industry in the last two years.

“SPOJA will this year introduce an award for overall winner — the SPOJA Sports Journalist of the Year — judged the best entry from all the categories combined.

“This year, only the Print Sports Journalist of the Year and the Electronic Sports Media Journalist of the Year categories have a runner-up. As SPOJA-N we are grateful to all our sponsors and other key stakeholders who have made this event possible in the last five years,” said Nyamutsamba.

Spoja (N) Awards 2020-21 categories:

1. SPOJA Journalist of the Year (Overall winner)

2. Print Journalist of the year

– First runner-up

– Second runner-up

3. Electronic Media Sports Journalist of the year

– First runner-up

– Second runner-up

4. Multimedia Sports Journalist of the Year

5. Online Sports Journalist of the Year

6. Sports Photographer of the Year

7. Sports Videographer of the Year

8. Rookie Sports Journalist of the Year

9. Sports Young Journalist of the Year

Special Recognition Awards

– Honorary Award

– Hall of Fame