Initiated by Diageo in 2004, the awards recognise excellence in business journalism about Africa with a view to strengthening and encouraging more coverage within Africa and to increase the continent’s share of voice in the international media.

More than 1220 entries were received from 21 countries across Africa and the rest of the world. A panel of eminent judges will now select the winners of each category, who will be announced at a gala ceremony in London on 30 June 2011.

The judging panel brings together global experts from the field of media, business, as well as pan-African initiatives and organisations.

The 2011 judges include:

Ms. Zeinab Badawi, International news broadcaster
Dr. Shantayanan Devarajan, Chief Economist of the World Bank’s Africa Division
Mr. Stephen King, Investments Director at The Omidyar Foundation
Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, former CEO of New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
Dr Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Chairman of the NEPAD Business Group and Executive President of the African Business Roundtable
Mr. Paul Walsh (Chair), CEO of Diageo
Baroness Shriti Vadera, G20 Advisor and former Minister for Business and Competitiveness in Gordon Brown’s Government

The finalists are:

BEST BUSINESS NEWS STORY   

Spending Spree at Presidency Anthony Osae Brown (BusinessDay, Nigeria)
Business Behind Nigeria Fashion Industry Keisha Gitari (CNBC Africa, Nigeria)
Conflict between technology and labour poses job security headache David Mugwe  (Business Daily, Kenya)

BEST FINANCE FEATURE
Money Transfer Series Boniface Mutakha (Citizen Television, Kenya)           
The real cost of owning a car Lizz Gakii Ntonjira (NTV, Kenya)
Why CEOs need to come clean on their pay Emmanuel Were, Nick Wachira and Cosmas Butunyi (The East African, Kenya)

BEST NEWCOMER                                           
Lee Mwiti Mugambi (Africa Review.com, Kenya)
Clair MacDougall  (The Huffington Post, Crikey.com: USA , Australia)                     
Cynthia Musenya Nyamai (KTN, Kenya)

BEST USE OF NEW MEDIA
Oil city Takoradi Rob Walker (BBC World Service, UK)
Uprising in Tunisia and Egypt--Lessons for Subsaharan Youth Jackson Mvunganyi (Voice of America, USA)
On Location: Ishunga, Congo - Market Walk Tim Freccia (Global Post, USA)

BEST ICT FEATURE
Digital Africa J.M. Ledgard (Intelligent Life, UK)                              
Internet, business et amour Anne Mireille Mbiacob (Le blog de Nzouankeu, Cameroon)              
Carbon Free Calling Mohammed Khan (African Telecoms, South Africa)

BEST AGRIBUSINESS OR ENVIRONMENT FEATURE                       
Is there a Revolution in African Farming?, Charlotte Ashton (BBC, The World Tonight, UK)
If there is Sunshine, There will be Water, Jonathan Kalan (The Star, Kenya)
Turning agriculture into big business, Isaac Masingati (Daily Times, Malawi)

BEST TOURISM FEATURE                                       
Marrakech, the new star of the Maghreb, Leïla Slimani (Africa Report, France)                           
Kenya tour resorts miss out on niche global ecosphere sustainability awards, Wycliffe Muga (Kenya Star, Kenya)
Inside Africa from Zanzibar Robyn Curnow (CNN SA)

BEST INFRASTRUCTURE FEATURE
Senegal Airport Drew Hinshaw (Christian Science Monitor, USA)                                    
South African mining Edward Cropley (Reuters , South Africa)                         
Hyacinth problem & Tourism Potential in Nyanza region James Karani (KTN, Kenya)  

BEST BUSINESS FEATURE
In Africa, Brazil takes a different track David Lewis (Reuters, Global)       
Killing a mosquito with a bazooka Isaac Masingati (Daily Times, Malawi)                 
A sleeping giant stirs Eleanor Whitehead (This is Africa, UK)

JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
Peter Guest (This is Africa, UK)
Xan Rice (Guardian Observer, UK)
Nicholas Norbrook (The Africa Report, France)
Erin Conway-Smith (The Global Post, SA)

MEDIA OF THE YEAR                                              
Reuters                                           
The Africa Report                                         
How We Made it In Africa