"In nine short years, the awards have grown into the largest independent and most sought after digital award brands in South Africa," says the New Gen Awards.

"Over the past nine years, we have seen a number of respected thought leaders from different sectors of the economy joining our panel, each one adding immense value and expertise across a broad spectrum of categories that New Gen offers to its entrants," the awards add.

The 2021 judges include: 

  • Asha Patel: head of B2B marketing in sub-Saharan Africa and head of marketing at Google South Africa
  • Molefi Thulo: executive creative director at Ogilvy South Africa
  • Lebo Madiba: founder of PR Powerhouse
  • Genie Botha: head of digital products at MakeReign Agency
  • Uyanda Manana: managing director at Conversation LAB
  • Mpume Ngobese: managing director at Joe Public Connect
  • Lynne Krawchuk: executive head of client service and commercial director at Clockwork Media
  • Mike Sharman: entrepreneur and founded of Retroviral
  • Craig Miles: creative director at Hellosquare
  • Tracey Jones: founder and managing director at Positive Dialogue
  • Zubeida Goolam: co-founder and chief creative officer at Valiant Agency
  • Shivani Naidoo: portfolio manager of digital media at Vodacom
  • Luke Goller: managing partner at Arc Interactive
  • Kieren Jacobsen: communications director at Levergy
  • Danielle Morley: chief executive officer at Digital Optimization
  • Templar Wales: director at DYDX Digital
  • Tara Turkington: CEO at Flow Communications
  • Jeff Siepman: co-founder and creative director at Livion Media
  • Gillian Findlay: CEO of Cambial Communications and the awards' head judge
  • Astrid Ascar: digital strategy of marketing and content creation consultant, practitioner and chief growth officer atWunderman Thompson
  • Prakash Patel: senior marketing and executive director at ForKeeps, and
  • Darren Leishman: co-founder and CEO at Spitfire Inbound. 
For a more detailed look at 2021 judges, individuals are encouraged to visit the awards' website.  

Furthermore, the awards have announced the launch of three new categories. They include:
  1. The Best Online Magazine/Newspaper Award
  2. The Top UX/UI Designer Award, and
  3. The Best E-Commerce Website Award.
Entries will close at the end of June. The 2021 New Gen hybrid awards ceremony will be held at the Ticketpro Dome, Hybrid Studios in September.

For more information, visit www.newgenawards.co.za or contact [email protected]. You can also follow the New Generation Social and Digital Media Awards on Facebook or on Twitter.