Samia Kalamu Awards 2026 opens public voting for journalism entries

Public voting for the second season of the Samia Kalamu Awards (SKA 2026) has officially commenced on September 3, 2026. A total of 294 entries have qualified for the public voting stage after being shortlisted from 3,003 submissions by a panel of judges. The judging process evaluated works based on quality, creativity, research, professional ethics, social impact, and contribution to national development.

Citizens can cast their votes through the official website, samiaawards.tz, or via SMS by sending the word ‘SKA’ followed by the participant's number to 15200. The voting period is scheduled to run until September 30, 2026.

The awards are coordinated through a partnership between the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), the Tanzania Association of Women Journalists (TAMWA), and the Journalists Accreditation Board (JAB). Organizers noted that priority areas for the submitted works included health, gender, special interest groups, the environment, and education. Last year, over 60,000 citizens participated in the voting process.