About the
Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting
The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) rewards, promotes and encourages best practices in journalism works from the print, radio, television, photo, online, editorial cartoon broad categories as well as from other special categories which focus on themes ranging from regulatory failures, corruption in the public and corporate spheres, and human rights abuses in the country.
The Award was instituted and first held in October 2005 to aid the development of an investigative reporting culture in the Nigerian media. In naming the award after Wole Soyinka, the initiators hoped to bring further attention to Soyinka’s untiring and relentless support for the cause of freedom of expression.
Annually, nominations open in October and close in November for the award presentation ceremony usually held on 9 December – the World Anti-corruption Day.
Judges are selected from a pool of veteran investigative journalists, media professionals and academics for the award programme which has so far rewarded produced 102 finalists, 11 investigative journalists of the year and 24 honorary awards recipients for their outstanding works.
The award win includes a cash prize, an award plaque, a certificate of commendation, a computer backup hard drive and an international study tour.
Apart from the investigative reporting category, the award also has two honorary awards— the Lifetime Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Anti-corruption Defender Award, to honour the great past of the media profession, and to recognise individuals or organisations for their noteworthy stance against corruption respectively.