Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, President, Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), says only members who have paid their dues in full by January 19,2024, can participate in the GJA 2023 Awards.

“Some members waited until the opening of entries before paying their dues in order to participate in the awards. This time, members who come at that late hour may find the door shut. We are currently compiling the list of members in good standing for 2023. Members have up to the 19th of this month (January) to pay their dues in full for 2023.

Mr Dwumfour, who gave the advice at a news conference in Accra on Monday, said one major eligibility criterion for the awards was membership in good standing.

“The General Secretary has issued a memo to that effect. We expect all members to act within the opened window for payment of dues so that the door may not be shut on their entries for awards,” he cautioned.

The GJA President said last year’s GJA Awards was very successful per feedback received from members and the public.

The 28th Media Awards, he said, would be more memorable if it was held as part of the 75th Anniversary activities of the Association.

In view of that, he said the leadership of the Association had taken proactive steps to ensure high standards in the organisation of the awards.

“First, we have scheduled a date in September for the awards; second, we will open entries in April and close same in June; third, we will give the awards vetting committee ample time to select the winners, and fourth, we will upgrade the online platform used for entries last year.

“You may notice that the proposed timelines I have outlined are earlier and more flexible than those of last year. That is so because we want to get things right,” he noted.

Speaking on the third GJA Annual Dinner Night, Mr Dwumfour said this year’s would be modified to mark the 75th Anniversary by incorporating the festival of nine lessons and carols since the ceremony would be ahead of Christmas.

The nine lessons and carols would feature heads of media houses, and Choral Festival, featuring singing groups from media houses.

“We hope that the 3rd GJA Dinner Night in December 2024 would be better than the previous ones. Considering the busy schedule for the year, the Annual Dinner Night is needed more than ever before for members to kill the stress we may encounter in the course of the year,” he added.