What is Isu Elihle?

Isu Elihle” is an isiZulu phrase and could be translated into English as a beautiful, great or simply a neat solution

The Isu Elihle Awards were launched in 2016 by MMA ,with the support of Save the Children International, the Swedish International Development Agency and Media Network on Child Rights Development (MNCRD) based in Zambia. Since 2020, the awards have been funded by UNICEF.
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Competition Stages

The top six stories will undergo adjudication and only the top three are guaranteed to win a cash prize. There is a fourth cash prize, that is “The Isu Elihle Mandy Rossouw Accountability Category” (MRC). This fourth prize is conditional, it will only be awarded if there is a story (in the top six) that meets the criteria for the category. The amount of money to be awarded for the Mandy Rossouw prize will be determined by the quality of the story published.

Prizes

*Please note that it is possible for one of the top 3 winners to be selected as the winner of the Mandy    Rossouw Category. In this case they would take two cash prizes. It is also possible that the MRC will not be awarded to any participant based on the judges’ decision.

Timeline

Activity
Dates
Duration
Story idea submission
04 May – 04 June 2026
4 weeks
1st round adjudication
08 June – 07 July 2026
4 weeks
Finalists’ announcement & mentorship
09 July – 10 August 2026
4 weeks
Finalists produce and publish stories
12 August – 13 October 2026
8 weeks
2nd round  Adjudication
14 October – 05 November 2026
3 weeks
Announce final winners
19 November 2026
*Please note the timeline above is subject to change and due notice will be given should it change

Isu Elihle Awards Rules & Guidelines

Please note by submitting your entry, you confirm that you have read and agree with the following rules.
View rules

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Legacy of Mandy Rossouw
On 08 March 2018 Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) honoured the legacy of Mandy Rossouw through the launch of an awards category dedicated to the memory of the esteemed journalist who passed away in 2013. The Mandy Rossouw Award for holding key institutions accountable.

While working for the Mail and Guardian in 2009, Mandy Rossouw was the first journalist to break the story on the government’s wasteful expenditure on former president Jacob Zuma’s private home in Nkandla KwaZulu Natal. She was one of the brave journalists who played a critical role in exposing the State Capture project. It is because of her dedication towards holding the powerful to account that MMA was inspired to include a category within Isu Elihle Awards for those journalists in the competition who show remarkable bravery towards holding governments and relevant institutions accountable to ensure that the rights of children on the continent are met.
Mandy was also one of the first journalists who volunteered to be on MMA’s Children’s News Agency advisory Board.  She was not only an excellent committed reporter, but she also cared deeply about journalism and ensuring children’s role was valued and their views heard.Once all the Top 6 Finalists have published their stories and submit them to MMA, the Isu Elihle Awards adjudicators will select one story that was well executed journalistically and that was geared towards holding the powerful to account with regards to addressing a critical need/s faced by children in a particular country in Africa.  Please note: there is no requirement to submit two stories, the judging panel will select a winner for this category from the final published and submitted stories. This prize will not be awarded if all submitted stories do not hold the powerful to account or meet the relevant criteria for the category.