award-winning drone journalism

Drones can turbo-boost storytelling from Africa’s frontlines.

They do this by going where humans cannot, giving journalists cheaper and safer access to conflict zones and other hazardous areas, from the epicentre of a natural disaster, to conflict zones, to industry’s toxic no-man lands.

But, the first step isn’t easy. You need to find the right team and equipment. It costs money upfront to get to out into the field. And, afterwards, you need expert systems and technicians to crunch the resulting data or footage.   

africanDRONE bridges the gap

We offer seed-grants for awesome storytelling projects, and we help newsrooms connect with civic drone pilots and digital media experts. We also help with ‘post-production’, from access to world-class editors and digital designers, to data-processing and video production labs.

But, having a voice doesn’t mean you’ll get heard.

After the story’s ready, africanDRONE helps it find an audience both in Africa and beyond. We work regularly with the continent’s largest news platform, News24, as well as regional powerhouses such as the Nation Media Group and PUNCH. Our members’ work also regularly gets published in leading publications across the world, from the New York Times and Newsweek Magazine in the U.S., to the Guardian and the BBC in the U.K., to Der Spiegel and Die Welt in Germany. We even have partnerships with global media giants, such as Thomson Reuters.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? 

A commitment to open journalism - storytelling that illustrates an aspect of life otherwise underreported or difficult to access.

Stories that tackle social justice or development issues - urbanization, civic organization, climate change, and global migration - to name just a few. 

Producing work that empowers citizens - How will you work help the community involved, and the world in general? Will it uncover or illustrate, or inspire and enlighten? Or perhaps something else? 

What do we want in return?

Open data

Give back through training / mentorship

Membership in africanDRONE

Drone journalism projects