The Media Council of Malawi (MCM) is set to recognise outstanding contributors to media excellence as part of its 30th anniversary celebrations, marking three decades of promoting professional and ethical standards in the country’s media sector.
In a statement issued in Lilongwe on 22 September 2026, MCM announced that the MCM@30 Media Excellence Contribution Awards will honour individuals and institutions for exceptional service, leadership, courage, innovation and contribution to the media landscape.
Signed by MCM Board Chairperson Jolly Maxwell Ntaba and Executive Director Moses Kaufa, the statement said the awards are honorary recognitions of long-term impact, sacrifice and systemic contribution — not a standard annual journalism competition.
There was no open call for entries or competitive submission process. Recipients were identified through an internal peer-review and consultative nomination process by the Council and industry stakeholders.
Categories include: Most Resilient Journalist of the Decade; Public Communication & Access to Information Legacy; Lifetime Achievement in Media; Women in Media Leadership; Media Academic Contribution; Responsible Digital Media Influencer; Media Industry Leadership; Public Interest Broadcasting; Newspaper of the Decade; Religious Broadcasting Contribution; Community Radio Station of the Decade; Entertainment Radio Station of the Decade; Press Freedom Star; and Democracy Champion Media Award.
Some awards will recognise significant chapters in Malawi’s media history. The Democracy Champion Media Award will honour an individual or institution’s contribution to democracy in Malawi.
The Public Communication & Access to Information Legacy Award will recognise a public officer, active or retired, for contribution to public communication and access to information — key elements of democratic governance.
MCM noted that media development has been built not only by journalists and media organisations, but also by educators, publishers, public communicators, civil society actors and institutions that have defended the public’s right to information and freedom of expression.
The awards form part of MCM@30 celebrations under the theme: “Three Decades of Promoting Professional, Independent and Responsible Media in Malawi.”
They will be conferred during the Media & ATI Awards Cocktail Event on 28 September 2026 from 18:00 at Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe, held during the Annual Media and Access to Information Conference (AMATIC) 2026, jointly organised with the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) and the Centre for Human Rights & Rehabilitation (CHRR).
