Introducing the Vickie Remoe Prize for Journalism and New Media #VickieRemoeDay
Happy #VickieRemoeDay to you and yours!
Today is my birthday, and Sierra Leonean custom dictates that I give and not receive. How wi de for di birthday? I promised a big announcement on this #VickieRemoeDay, so here it goes:
I love what I do. There’s never a day I wake up and regret my career path. The media has allowed me to be financially independent, create opportunities for others, and impact the way Sierra Leoneans and the world see and think about Salone.
My work shines a light on our people, culture, and progress. I am proud of everything I’ve done to shine a light on us—the positive stories and the heartbreaking news. It humanizes us and restores our dignity, they’re OUR stories.
I started my new media journey in April 2006. That was the beginning of the SwitSalone Blog. I had no interest in the media back then––my senior year in college. Blogger was the new thing, and I just wanted to keep a diary of my visit to SL that past December.
Today that blog with over 3000 posts employs part-time and full-time contributors, all of whom I trained. With 100,000 monthly hits, SwitSalone is one of the only places online where Millenials at home and in the diaspora can find the content they want. We don’t sensationalize the news, whether politics or entertainment; we focus on the facts, context, and representation.
Through the blog, the Vickie Remoe Show (2009), the Make Sierra Leone Famous podcast (2020), GoWoman Magazine (2013-2017), and my social media content, I know I’m impactful. I reach millions of readers and audiences each year. But i nɔ du!
Sixteen years after I published that first blog post, I’m STILL the only one at my level in Sierra Leone’s media space. I am a multimedia journalist. I can film and edit videos for news and documentaries. I can write, edit and publish news. I am a photojournalist who has covered national events and local news. I’m also Sierra Leone’s most prominent voice online. I’ve trained and inspired hundreds of journalists, media practitioners, and broadcasters. I have no peers, but that’s not a cause for celebration. It sucks! Sierra Leonean stories are still missing online because it takes an ecosystem with multimedia journalists and media producers to shape and share our narratives! If there is a small rise in micro-blogging in SL, I passed on those skills and paved the way. But gossip, “vawulence,” and low-hanging sensationalized content will not Make Sierra Leone Famous or allow us to take our place on the world stage.
The quality of stories from Sierra Leone needs to grow. While I plan to continue at the forefront of the media landscape, I want to elevate and groom the next generation of storytellers. I need peers. I’m gonna find who’s next in the media and create space for them at the table.
Today, I’m excited to announce the Vickie Remoe Prize for Journalism and New Media. I’m doubling down on my mission to Make Sierra Leone Famous with the creation of this annual prize for journalism and new media. In addition to the financial award, winners will join a mentorship program connecting them to Sierra Leonean media leaders.
I’ve reached out to media leaders––Sierra Leonean professionals at NPR, BET, AYV TV, Young Salone, Independent Photographers, Documentary Producers, and Journalists. Everyone has responded with an emphatic YES to working together on our shared vision. They’ll guide the prize, offer expertise, serve on the prize’s board and select the winners. I’ll introduce them to you in the coming weeks.
The Vickie Remoe Prize for Journalism and New Media’s board members will give out awards for excellence in print journalism, photojournalism, film, and new media. The category for new media includes any media that is distributed digitally, including blogs, podcasts, music, social media content, etc. There will be ten awardees; five men and five women.
This 2022-2023 prize is 200 million leones (for my foreign friends, that’s about $11,230 at today’s exchange rate ).
The award categories are as follows:
The Vickie Remoe Prize for News Writing
Awarded to a Sierra Leonean print journalist for an outstanding example of local or national news reporting, investigative reporting, explanatory reporting, or feature reporting that demonstrates originality, lucid writing, clear presentation, and community connection. Award for NSL 10,000. Prizes Available (4).
The Vickie Remoe Prize for Photography
Awarded to a Sierra Leonean photographer for a distinguished example of breaking news, documentary, and feature photography which may consist of a set of photographs not to exceed 12 images. The submitted pictures may depict one or multiple subjects. Do not change or manipulate the photos. Manipulation of images includes but is not limited to altering the colors (hue, saturation, tone), smoothness, or adding sharpness. Do not do anything to the images that will distort the original image. You may crop, add light, reduce light and make minimal edits. Award for NSL 20,000. Prizes Available (2).
The Vickie Remoe Prize for Film
Awarded to a Sierra Leonean videographer(s) for an outstanding example of a short film (fiction) or documentary videography (nonfiction). The submitted video may be at most 45 mins run time. Award for NSL 30,000. Prizes Available (2).
The Vickie Remoe Prize for New Media
Awarded to a Sierra Leonean content creator or creative entrepreneur for an outstanding example of digital (new) media in music, podcast, vlog, blog, and video. Award for NSL 20,000. Prizes Available (2).
Eligibility
All applicants must be residents of Sierra Leone, hold Sierra Leonean citizenship, and have no more than five years of experience as a practitioner. There is no age limit for participation. Women and People Living With disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. My near and extended family members are ineligible, as are my staff at VRCMarketing.com and their family.
The 2023 Vickie Remoe Prize Application will open on November 21, 2022, on VickieRemoe.com. There will be an announcement to notify the public. You may also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for a notice on socials. The application deadline is February 1, 2023, at 5 pm GMT.
Until then, for interviews or media inquiries please get in touch with me via email (info@vickieremoe.com) or send questions, comments, and suggestions with the Subject: Vickie Remoe Prize.
Please help spread the word about #VickieRemoePrize to journalists and media practitioners in your community.
Happy #VickieRemoeDay!
Photo Credit - Alhaji Kargbo (c) Vickie Remoe, 2022
