The African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME) has announced the opening of submissions for the 2026 Uganda National Journalism Awards (UNJA), marking the launch of the 12th edition of Uganda’s premier media excellence programme.
The submissions will run from October 15 to January 31, 2026, covering stories published between January 1 and December 31, 2025. The annual awards celebrate outstanding reporting across print, broadcast, and online platforms.
The announcement was made during the UNJA Partners’ engagement on Friday, which brought together editors, media partners, and sponsors to officially open entries for the next awards season. In his remarks, ACME Executive Director George William Lugalambi highlighted the role of credible journalism in shaping Uganda’s global image and perceptions.
He cited a study showing that media narratives strongly influence investment, tourism and development decisions.
‘There was very clear evidence that a lot of decisions about global capital and investment are influenced by the kind of narratives people find in the media about a country. For Uganda, the quality of journalism directly affects how people decide whether to visit or invest,’ he said.
Mr Lugalambi added that professional journalism is critical for business and national development, describing the UNJA as a key platform that strengthens reporting standards and amplifying strong ideas.
‘These awards are now the longest-running of their kind in East Africa. We recently expanded participation to Kenya and Tanzania, with support from the Stewart Mott Foundation. Our hope is to anchor Uganda as a hub for journalism excellence in the region,’ he said.
The ACME Board Chairperson, Ms Emilly Comfort Maractho reflected on the organisation’s sustainability journey, noting that understanding the challenges journalists face is important and through her early experiences with the awards highlighted the value of patience and perseverance.
‘We had a five-year programme with strong funding, and suddenly we had no money and didn’t know how to proceed. We decided that we could never again be in a position where a project collapses because a main funder pulls out. That’s when we made the decision to diversify and look forward to local investment through partners,’ Ms Maractho said.
She added that ACME has since prioritised working with Ugandan institutions that appreciate the value of ethical journalism. ‘When one journalist fails, we all suffer. People don’t say ‘that journalist,’ they say ‘journalists.’
It’s important to create spaces where journalism thrives while observing critical principles that distinguish us from just having skills just like what they now call influencers,’ she said. Daily Monitor’s Ismail Ladu, a long-time UNJA participant and winner, encouraged journalists to keep improving their craft and not be discouraged by setbacks.
‘The first time I submitted my work, I didn’t win. The second time I got an honorary mention. I kept trying, and eventually, I started winning over the course of eight years. The idea is to keep learning and improving and once you understand how to keep your head high with motivation, it becomes easier,’ Mr Ladu said.
The 2025 inspiring female journalist winner, Ms Jamila Mulindwa (Next Media), also encouraged journalists to use their strength points for factual and integrity storytelling.
Background
The Uganda National Journalism Awards continue to recognise exceptional reporting in business and finance, health, education, sports, community, public accountability, science and technology, among others.
At 2025 UNJA, four journalists from Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda won top honours among the 17 across NMG Uganda platforms who featured among the 61 finalists.
The other four were recognised as runners-up and several others received honorary mentions.