FAME Awards Returns after 17 Years
'The FAME Awards is the most sought after honours in our media industry'
Friday 14 February 2025 | 08:59
Fijian Media Association general secretary Stanley Simpson and Fiji Media Council public member Shane Hussein. Photos: Leon Lord
The Fiji Awards for Media Excellence (FAME) will return this November after a lapse of 17 years.
The announcement was made by the Fiji Media Council and Fijian Media Association on the margins of the Pacific Media Partnership Conference, which ended yesterday in Suva.
The FAME Awards was an annual event, a pinnacle of achievements for those in Fiji's media industry. The event is planned for on November 29, 2025.
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The first FAME awards started in 2007 while the last award night was in 2008.
The discontinuation stemmed from the imposition of draconian censorship laws limiting freedom of the media freedom in 2009.
History
Fijian Media Association general secretary Stanley Simpson said the return of the FAME awards is a signal that media freedom is on its way back in Fiji.
"Especially after the harsh treatment of journalists in 2006 and 2007, censorship in 2009, and the draconian MIDA Act of 2010 which was finally repealed in 2023," Mr Simpson said.
"The FAME awards is an avenue to recognise excellence and hard work in journalism, provides public awareness on the positive impact of good journalism, and a spotlight the importance of press freedom."
The 2025 FAME Awards will feature 30 awards in eight categories.
Awards
The major awards for the evening will be:
■ Print Journalist of the Year
■ Radio Journalist of the Year
■ TV Journalist of the Year
■ Journalist of the Year
The Fiji Media Council has appointed Public Member, Shane Hussein, as the FAME Awards Chairman.
"It's a real pleasure to be part of this very special event," Mr Hussein said.
"The FAME Awards is the most sought after honours in our media industry.
"Our Fiji media are both the best of friends and fiercest of competitors, and they deserve to have the FAME Awards back to celebrate their achievements," he said.
The entry eligibility period for FAME 2025 submissions is for work created over the two-year period ending 31 August 2025.
Meanwhile, Mr Simpson of Mai TV was FAME Journalist of the Year in 2007 while Vijay Narayan of Communications Fiji Ltd was the recipient of the major award in 2008.
Feedback: jone.salusalu@fijisun.com.fj
