The awards also extend to relevant corporate social investment issues and service excellence. The Profile Awards for 2005 are open to all journalists and freelancers from any African country that have had work published in print or electronic format, or broadcast on radio or television, between January and November 2005.
Pete da Silva, CEO of Siemens Southern Africa, the sponsor of the Profile Awards, says science and technology can make a huge difference in improving the quality of life of the continent's people and in improving Africa's international competitiveness.
"Like everywhere else in the world science and technology reporting has remained underrated in Africa, so the Profile Awards competition remains an important initiative that gives an encouraging motivation to the continent's media."
He says that noteworthy work done to date in creating awareness of technological advancement in Africa includes journalists improving on their quality of interviews and accuracy of published material.
"There is also a growing interest in reporting on Africa itself, and the growth of African titles serves as an indication of media marketing excellence," says da Silva.
The Profile Awards are presented in 10 categories ranging from print and electronic journalism to radio and television programmes, with the grand prize of an overall award for the best piece of science and technology journalism of 2005 chosen from the winners of each of the categories.
Submissions are judged according to the depth of research displayed, analytical ability, the ability to unbundle technology, a grasp of the subject matter, clear and concise writing and presentation, as well as individual style.
Da Silva says that Siemens Southern Africa will continue to support the Profile Awards, as he believes there is still much work to be done in reporting other technological environments in the media beyond Internet and telecommunications, including power generation, transmission and distribution, automation and control, industrial projects and medical technology, secondary health care and public private partnerships.
"There is also room for improvement in terms of contributions from within Africa to grow this initiative so that it really does become the primary science and technology programme on the continent," he concludes.
Entry forms and further details are available online at www.profileawards.com.
