VIIMMA 2025: KNews’s publisher bags Best Blogger of the Year Award

Limbe-based online news platform, KNews Publisher, Simon Ndive Kalla has received the award of Best Blogger of the Year at the 2025 edition of the Victoria International Media Merit Award (VIIMMA). The ceremony was held on Friday December 12, 2025, in Limbe, Fako Division.

Reacting shortly after receiving the award, Simon Kalla , could not hide his feelings. To him the award is a dream come true.

"I’m so excited to receive my second international award. I have worked as a print journalist for over 10 years but only received an award as a blogger less than 5 years into it."Simon Kalla, said.

The VIIMMA 2025 Blogger of the Year started blogging in 2017 when he created his first blog, but later abandoned it to pursue his career as newspaper reporter.

In February 2018, he created KNews team of young reporters in Buea and Douala their intention was to break beyond the breaking news.

"We at KNews, we try to see far beyond the breaking news, we strongly believe that there is news behind what is seen as news." Kalla said.

According to the chairperson of media category, Sir Kiven Frank VIIMMA began as a whole idea to encourage, recognise and celebrate excellence in journalism.

He said this year they received a total of 98 nominees, 34 made it to the voting round in 15 categories. The voting and professional work were both 50% each.

“This year, the most competitive awards were; Elad Geofred print reporter of the year, best male and female sports journalist of the year, TV presenter of the year, photo journalist of the he year and Anye Ndeh Nsoh top blogger of the year award” Sir Kiven Frank said.

The Executive Director of CAMP, Tarhyang Enowbikah Tabe said in 2018 when they started the award it was just a recognition of some individuals who had impacted the lives and political landscape of Victoria now Limbe.

Meanwhile In 2019 with the Anglophone crisis in the North West and South West regions, they decided to give the awards a humanitarian touch version of the Victoria International Media Award. In 2020 due to popular demand the Victoria Media Merit Award added another ‘I’ which made it international.

“We took it international because we saw people from Limbe who are doing well outside so we decided to take the award to them. That's why we have other categories like best sports journalist, best banks etc.” Tarhyang said.

In his intervention, CAMP National President, Solomon Agborem appreciated the solidarity that has come from journalists themselves across the board, across the national territory to participate in this year's edition of the Victoria International Media Merit Award.

“We feel that we should be able to come to a point where we should acknowledge what journalists do what they sacrifice day in day out to give information to Cameroonians," Solomon Agborem said.

A four man jury headed by ace journalist and human rights expert, Franklin Kiven, was put in place to evaluate nominees in the media category after submission of their best two articles and reports.

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KNews’s publisher brandishing award