The Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA) has announced the opening of applications for its 2025 edition, inviting entries from journalists in print, radio, and television across the country.

In a statement released on Monday, the organisers said the awards, now in their 35th year, are open to all practising journalists in Nigeria, with eligible works limited to those published or broadcast in 2024. Winners in each category will receive the Golden Gong of Excellence trophy, a certificate, and prize money.

The NMMA outlined detailed assessment criteria for each category. For print media, works will be judged on factuality, accuracy, originality, clarity, balance, human interest, creativity, and photographic captioning ability.

Electronic media entries will be evaluated on subject knowledge, depth, emotional appeal, presentation skills, social responsibility, audience engagement, innovation, technical execution, compliance with the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) code, and professionalism.

Applicants are required to submit original copies of their 2024 works along with four photocopies, a curriculum vitae, and two passport photographs. Each entry must be clearly marked “NMMA 2024 ENTRY” and specify the award category. A maximum of two entries is allowed per category, and the same work cannot be submitted for more than one category.

Special conditions apply to certain awards: Columnist of the Year entries must include four articles from each quarter of 2024; News Photographer of the Year entries must feature published photographs with the photographer’s details and publication date on the reverse; and electronic media entries must be submitted in five copies on flash drives, CDs, or DVDs, each containing only one entry. These submissions must also include a synopsis and display the date of broadcast. Joint entries in both print and electronic categories will be disqualified.

Entries can be submitted by the authors themselves, their employers, institutions, organisations, or individuals with the author’s consent. For the Broadcast Station of the Year categories, members of the public may nominate stations through NBC zonal offices in Abuja, Kano, Benin City, Umuahia, Ikeja, Maiduguri, and Jos.

The NMMA warned that improperly submitted entries or those received after the September 8, 2025 deadline may be disqualified. All submitted materials will become the property of the NMMA, though copyright protection for electronic entries will be maintained.