For Immediate Release
Thursday 12 November 2009
M-Net VUKA! Awards 2009
M-Net Announces VUKA! Hall of Fame
In 2009, M-Net took ownership of the prestigious VUKA! Awards and has announced some exciting developments, including the establishment of the M-Net VUKA! Hall of Fame for previous winners. At the launch at M-Net in Randburg today (12 November), M-Net also revealed more details about the much talked-about Contenders category, new to the M-Net VUKA! Awards.
The VUKA! Awards were introduced in 1999 by MultiChoice as a platform to reward and nurture South Africa's filmmaking talent while providing vital exposure to social causes and charities via Public Service Announcements (PSA’s). After a hiatus in 2008, the Awards are back in 2009 under the M-Net banner, with a few significant and exciting changes. 2009 sees the introduction of the Contenders category for new professionals aged 20-28 who are not yet fully established in the industry. Through an exciting partnership with Cinemark, the winners of the Contenders category also win automatic entry to the prestigious Cannes Young Lions competition in June 2010, including flights, accommodation and spending money from M-Net.
The M-Net VUKA! Hall of Fame is a permanent installation at M-Net’s Randburg offices and honours past winners with a display of tapestries which encapsulate the concept of their winning PSA’s, alongside a video loop of their work. All overall winners will now be able to claim a spot in this gallery of luminary creatives. Koo Govender, Director: Corporate & Marketing Communications at M-Net says that the channel is proud to be able to honour the teams behind the winning entries. “The M-Net VUKA! Hall of Fame is an exciting development for the competition and gives deserved recognition to our past and future winners for the excellent work they do,” she says. “We hope that this permanent display at the heart of our Broadcast Services building will inspire all those who walk through our doors – and those who dream of doing so – to continue the good work highlighted by VUKA”.
Entries closed on 24 October and guests at the launch event were treated to a sneak peak of the finalists of the more than 110 entries received this year. The judges convene again on 13 November to select the winning PSA’s, which will be announced at a glamorous function in Johannesburg on 25 November. The Top 30% will have their work broadcast on the M-Net channels on DStv and also in cinemas nationwide.
The M-Net VUKA! Awards form part of M-Net’s CSI strategy, under the M-Net Cares banner.
Issued on behalf of M-Net by:
Trevor Crighton
trevor@pageone.co.za
083 652 7713
Caption Info:
M-NET VUKA!1.jpg: M-Net Corporate Marketing & Communications Director Koo Govender opens the M-Net VUKA! Hall of Fame, honouring the previous winners of the prestigious Public Service Announcement (PSA) competition.
M-NET VUKA!2.jpg: Tapestries illustrating the concepts behind previous VUKA! Award-winning PSA’s, which now have a permanent home at M-Net.