Sarie Kos' Herman Lensing won the overall Galliova champion award and the Galliova Food Stylist award at the event which was held at Clara's Barn in Stellenbosch.
“What an incredible honour! Thank you to everyone who is a part of this story. All I want to do is show the world good food every day,” said Lensing.
Speaking to Bizcommunity Lensing said he has been winning Galliova awards since 2009.
“Winning this Galliova award is amazing, it's an absolute honour for my work to be recognised and above all it shows that I am doing something right. There are two types of recognition that are important to me, first of all it's that my readers support my work and people on the outside who look at my work with different eyes," he said.
Marthinus Stander, honorary president of awards sponsor, the South African Poultry Association (SAPA) and managing director Chicken Division at RCL Foods, said the association recognised the tenacity of the media over the past few years, and was proud to once again acknowledge the importance of the country’s food and health media.
“We are really happy to be together again, and to see so many members of the media with us today who have flown in from all over the country to join us.
This year we made a few changes to the categories and entry criteria, in line with the ongoing changes in the media landscape. I’m delighted to say that all the judges commented on the excellent standard of work submitted, and that we were able to increase the total value of the cash prizes to R189 000.00,” Stander told guests.
The 2022 Galliova Award winners are:
Winner: Dianne Bibby, Bibby’s Kitchen
Runner-up: Georgia East, East After Noon
The scores for the top four entries in this category were extremely close, with the judges giving Sam Linsell of Drizzle & Dip a special mention for her beautiful work.
Winner: Lydia van der Merwe, Sarie, Sarie Kos & Sarie Gesond
Runner-up: Glynis Horning, freelance writer
The number of entrants in this category in 2022 was double that of previous years, which was encouraging. The health judges awarded a special mention to freelance writer, Jandri Barnard for the excellent standard of her writing.
Winner: Herman Lensing, Sarie Kos
Runner-up: Vickie de Beer, Lose It! & Keto Mag
A special mention in this category was extended to first-time Galliova Awards entrant, Gail Damon from Fresh Living magazine.
Joint winners: Lydia van der Merwe and Herman Lensing, Sarie Kos
Runner-up: Anna Trapido, freelance writer
The focus of this category changed in 2022 from recipes and visuals to full-length food articles. The judges gave a special mention to Anél Potgieter of Rapport for her outstanding writing.
Winner: Gail Damon, Fresh Living magazine
Runner-up: Vickie de Beer, Lose It! & Keto Mag
In addition to the winners in this category, the judges gave a special mention to Pierrette Mulumba from Longevity Live for her work in promoting South African eggs.
Winner: Vickie de Beer, Lose It! & Keto Mag
Runner-up: Johané Neilson, Tuis | Home & Weg | Go!
Chicken is one of the most consumed and popular proteins in South Africa. Despite this, the number of entries received for this category were lower than last year. The judges opted to include entrants from other categories where chicken recipes had been used, to bolster the entry pool in this category.
Overall awards winner: Herman Lensing, Sarie Kos
The Galliova Champion was a new and exciting addition to this year’s awards. It recognises and acknowledges one of the winners, from the other six categories, for their exceptional work. It is not a guaranteed award, and only granted if all judges agree one winner surpassed all expectations.
The winners were judged according to their overall promotion of locally produced poultry products, including both eggs and chicken, as well as excellence in promoting food culture, food writing, visual appeal and food styling.
The 2022 Galliova Food and Health Writers’ Awards were attended by renowned South African food and health media, including social media influencers; SAPA board members; and dignitaries Dr Simphewe Ngqangweni, CEO of the National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC), and Dr Sifiso Ntombela, chief economist of the NAMC.
In acknowledgment of the longstanding history of South Africa’s poultry industry, and its support of the Galliova Awards over the past three decades, the official welcome was given by Colin Steenhuisen, a member of the SAPA and Egg Boards, and a stalwart of the local egg industry with a professional career spanning 47 years.
It was back in 2004 that Steenhuisen awarded celebrated South African food journalist, Justine Drake, her first-ever Galliova Award. Drake returned to the Galliova Awards stage this year, but this time as the event MC.
-Additional reporting by Karabo Ledwaba
