CAMASEJ professional awards honour excellence despite high entry bar

Jury narrows over forty submissions to three award categories, while top five OSF pitch projects receive laptops at Limbe AGM finale.

Professional excellence took centre stage at the CAMASEJ award night in Limbe as the association presented its journalism awards, recognising quality over quantity after a rigorous selection process that saw many entries fall short of set standards.

OSF's award winners and CAMASEJ National Executive 

Presenting the jury’s report, Dr Gilles Mbinglo disclosed that more than forty entries were received across ten categories earlier announced. However, only three categories were eventually awarded after assessment against established criteria. He said the decision reflected the jury’s insistence on professional rigour and ethical standards rather than numerical representation.

Dr Gilles Mbinglo

The three award categories were supported by prizes donated by UNESCO, with the first winner receiving a laptop, while second and third placed entries received recording equipment.

CAMASEJ award winners 

The Wache Francis Young Journalist Award 2025 was awarded to Njodzeka Dalhatu Kernyuy, in recognition of emerging journalistic talent and promise. The Environmental Journalist of the Year award went to Mbuh Stella for her work highlighting environmental concerns, while Tasi Peter was named Sports Journalist of the Year for consistent and impactful sports reporting.

CAMASEJ also recognised the best five projects of the Open Society Foundations, OSF pitching programme. Francis Ajumane, who worked closely on the initiative, explained that the decision to reward the best five was taken by the national executive bureau of CAMASEJ. He noted that the best ten projects had already received cash prizes at the pitching stage, while the AGM recognition came with laptops as an additional incentive.

Francis Ajumane

The top five OSF projects recognised were Cynthia Ebot Takang for The Silent Crisis of Cameroon’s Ransom-Fuelled War with a score of 22 out of 25; Nsoseka Andrew Acramu for The Unlikely Peacemakers: How Football Is Quietly Healing Wounds of Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis scoring 20.5; Beng Emmanuel Kum for Day of Ballots and Bullets: Anglophone Fears Ahead of Cameroon’s Election with 20; Shuimo Trust Dohyee for The Unseen Cultural Casualties of Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis scoring 19.5; and Mboh Promise for Trauma and Triumph: The Mental Health Recovery Path of Anglophone Conflict Victims with 19.

Cynthia Ebot Takang receiving best pitch award 

The awards night in Limbe marked the culmination of CAMASEJ’s 2026 Annual General Assembly, which ran from 29 to 31 January. Over three days, members assessed the welfare of chapters nationwide, reviewed and adopted constitutional reforms, recognised new chapters in Bafoussam, Bertoua and Bangem, and engaged in recreational and team-building activities including football and a visit to Seme Beach. 

The professional awards and presidential recognitions capped an assembly designed to strengthen the association’s structures, celebrate service, and highlight excellence in English-speaking journalism across Cameroon.

By Bakah Derick For Hilltopvoices Online 

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