And The 2023 Vickie Remoe Prize Winners Are…

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2023 Vickie Remoe Prize winners for Journalism and New Media.  The Prize celebrates media excellence, originality, and creativity in print, photography, film, and content creation. 

Below is a list of the 2023 Vickie Remoe Prize Winners:

Vickie Remoe Prize for News Writing Winners: Marian Amaria Bangura, Ishmail Saidu Kanu, and Ahmed Tejan-Cole 

Marian is a journalist at the Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire. She also writes for the Fourth Estate in Ghana. Marian is passionate about storytelling with a keen interest in investigative journalism, human rights, and accountability reporting. Marian holds a BA with honors in Mass Communications from Fourah Bay College. She won the prize for “Desperate Youth in Sierra Leone, Ghana Falls Victim to overseas job Scam” published on December 22, 2022 by Fourth Estate. Marian won Nle 15,000 (15 million old leones).

Ishmail is a reporter and editor at the Tribune Times Newspaper. He covers sports and politics.  In 2019 he was awarded the Best Sports Reporter and Best Political Reporter by the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ). Ishmail holds a BSc in Peace and Conflict Resolution, and an LLB with honors in Law from Fourah Bay College. He won the prize for “The Zebras are Fading” published on July 26, 2022 by Tribune Times. Ishmail won Nle 15,000 (15 million old leones).

Ahmed is a blogger at AfaTejan Media. He reports on current affairs, entertainment, sports, politics, and technology. Ahmed attended the JT Reffel Secondary School at Tower Hill he holds a Higher Diploma in Computer Science from the Njala University, University of Sierra Leone. Ahmed won the prize for “Using Technology to Support Teacher Continuous Professional Development in Sierra Leone” published on November 25, 2022 by AfaTejanMedia. Ahmed won Nle 15,000 (15 million old leones).

Morlai is a journalist at Sierra Loaded. Before that, he was an intern at the New Age Newspaper. Morlai holds a BA in Mass Communications from Fourah Bay College. Morlai won the prize for “Everything I Have Worked For Destroyed In a Single Day” – Victim of Fire Tragedy Reflects on Loss of Properties” published on December 31, 2022 by Sierraloaded. Morlai won Nle 15,000 (15 million old leones).

Vickie Remoe Prize for Photojournalism Winner: Benjamin Thoronka

Benjamin is a graphic designer and photographer. He works for Priority Solutions Ltd. He started photography four years ago after finishing his West African Senior Secondary Certificate Exams (WASSCE). Now he uses his photography skills to document the lives of his clients and people in his community. Benjamin won Nle 20,000 (20 million old leones).

Vickie Remoe Prize for Film Winner: Ishmael Roland Kamara

Ishmael is a multimedia producer and founder of Roland Kay Media Corporation, a broadcasting and media company. He holds a BA in Education from Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology. Ishmael won Nle 30,000 (30 million old leones).

Vickie Remoe Prize for Content Creators Winners: Hannah Ogunade (@WaterlooTiti on Facebook), Issadin Kamara (Issadin K on Youtube), and Ramatu Tunakra (@joyjoyjoy661 on Tiktok)

Hannah Ogunade (Waterloo Titi) – is a chef and a community health nurse. She got into content creation to showcase Sierra Leonean food and delicacies after being inspired by what other chefs from other African countries were doing. In 2023 Hannah was nominated as one of the most 50 influential women in Sierra Leone. Hannah won Nle 30,000 (30 million old leones).

Issadin Kamara (Issadin K) – is a content creator and Youtube vlogger. He is the co-founder of SPARK Media, a multimedia company that produces professional videos, documentaries, photos, and printing services. He has 10,300 subscribers on his YouTube channel (Issadin K) where he shares beautiful stories of Sierra Leone. Issadin holds a BSc in Computer Science from Njala University. Issadin won Nle 30,000 (30 million old leones).

Ramatu Tunakra (joyjoyjoy661) – is a content creator, videographer, and chief executive officer of Progressive Builders Family, an anti-drug abuse organization. She uses her content to campaign against drug abuse. As a former addict, Ramatu has completely turned her life around and believes that others can do so too. She studied Applied Accounting at IPAM. Ramatu won Nle 30,000 (30 million old leones).