BBC World News Komla Dumor Award

Komla Dumor was a journalist of Africa. His passion was to tell African stories to the world with honesty and integrity.

It’s a legacy that the BBC wants to continue.

The BBC World News Komla Dumor Award will be made to an outstanding individual living and working in Africa, who combines strong journalism skills, on air flair, and an exceptional talent in telling African stories with the ambition and potential to become a star of the future.

Role Responsibility

The winner of the BBC World News Komla Dumor award will receive a once-in-a-lifetime training and development opportunity with the BBC in London, starting in early September 2015 and running for three months. Working with teams from across BBC News, the winner will produce an African story for the BBC and have their story and their voice shared across the continent and the world. They will be supported by a high-level BBC mentor and attend courses run by the BBC’s world-class training department, the BBC Academy.

The BBC will pay for the winner’s flights to and from the UK and for their visa. We will also arrange and pay for the winner’s accommodation in London during their placement. The winner will receive £2,000 per month for the three month placement to cover their living expenses and a one-off payment of £5,000 as a contribution towards loss of salary in their home country. Some of the above may be subject to taxation (and deductions will be made as appropriate).

The Ideal Candidate

To apply for this prestigious award, you must be currently living and working as a journalist in Africa with 3 to 10 years’ experience as a professional journalist in Africa. You must also have the following skills and experience:

Excellent journalism skills, including in digital and social media.
Broadcasting experience is preferable.
An excellent broadcasting voice and strong presenting skills with the ability to perform at the microphone with flair.
The ability to identify and pitch a strong original African story idea, aligned to the BBC editorial guidelines http://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/
Wide and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the African continent, including politics, business, culture, history and sport.
Fluency in English as a first or equivalent language.

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Additional requirements for all applicants

You must provide a CV (maximum two pages) / complete a careers hub profile.
You must hold or be able to obtain by 1st March 2015 a passport that is valid until at least 31st January 2016.
You must not be a current or former member of BBC staff.
If successful, your employer must be willing to release you for three months from September 2015 for you to travel on your own to take up your placement in London.
The visa requires that you hold a degree or are studying towards a degree equivalent to a UK Bachelor’s degree from a recognised university.
References, proof of employment, birth certificate, passport, an appropriate UK visa and proof of level of English will be required from shortlisted candidates.

Terms and conditions

You must provide the BBC with your name, email and postal address if you wish to enter for this award.
The BBC will only ever use your personal details for the purposes of administering this award, and will not publish them or provide them to anyone without your permission.
The deadline for receiving entries for the award is final. This is 23.59 hours on Monday 2 February 2015. No entries received after this date will be considered.
The BBC will not be liable for any costs incurred in the application process for this award.
The BBC does not accept any responsibility for late or lost entries. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt. No responsibility is accepted for incomplete entries or entries made fraudulently.
This award is not open to employees of the BBC, any person directly involved in the BBC or the running of the competition.
The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into thereafter.
The BBC reserves the right to use the names and images of shortlisted candidates in publicity material.
The award winner will be contacted personally.
The award must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. There will be no cash alternative.
The BBC reserves the right to cancel this award scheme at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, and if circumstances arise outside of its control.
The awardee must be able to secure an appropriate UK visa, which the BBC will arrange and pay for on the awardee’s behalf. The BBC will withdraw the offer of a placement, if an appropriate UK visa cannot be obtained.
The awardee assigns all copyright or other intellectual property rights in the contribution they supply to the BBC as a result of placement.
The awardee grants the BBC the unlimited right to edit, copy, alter, add to, take from, adapt or translate the contributions and, with regard to such contributions and any BBC content in which they may have been included, waives irrevocably any ‘moral rights’ they may have under any laws of any jurisdiction.
The BBC reserves the right to withdraw the award at any stage if the awardee brings the BBC into disrepute.
The awardee is expected to return to their home country at the end of their BBC placement.
This award is administered by the BBC.
Entrants will be deemed to have accepted these rules and to agree to be bound by them when entering for this award.