Zimbabwean journo, Matiashe wins international award
Zimbabwean journalist, Farai Matiashe has won the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS) Media Awards 2022 Young Reporter award in Seoul, South Korea.
Matiashe beat two other reporters to land the coveted prize for his stellar work profiling girls’ football in Zimbabwe’s second largest city, Bulawayo.
The winning article was published as part of the Let Girls Learn series by UK’s Evening Standard.
The in-depth story, with riveting visuals by photojournalist, Tafadzwa Ufumeli brings to light the journey of girl footballers in Bulawayo.
It chronicles how football has helped girls escape teenage pregnancies.
An elated Matiashe, who has worked with several international news organisations like CNN, Vice and Aljazeera, shared the news on Twitter, Tuesday.
“My feature article for the @EveningStandard has won the first prize at the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS) Media Awards 2022 under Young Reporter Writing Category,” Matiashe wrote, as congratulatory messages from fellow journalists and other personalities poured in.
Beaming with pride, The Evening Standard also gushed with praises for Matiashe.
“Congratulations to @ShawnMatiashe for winning first prize at the AIPS Media Awards 2022 under Young Reporter Writing Category!.”
“Congratulations @ShawnMatiashe you represent the brightest of our hopes for building a more open and freer society. Thank you for the risks you take in this profession,” democracy campaigner and clergyman, Pastor Evan Mawarire wrote.
The young journalist who cut his teeth, at NewsDay is a leading light in local journalism with his signature in-depth feature writing.
Last year, he traveled to Brazil on a reporting journey in the Amazon, a feat that proves his growing influence in media.
Still residing in the eastern city of Mutare, Matiashe continues to report authoritatively on local issues away from the city glam.
