ARISE News Digital, Vbank, MTN, Ndani TV Others Shine at GAGE Awards 2021

Sunday Okobi

Arise TV News Online, MTN, Ndani TV, Mr. Macaroni were among the winner of this year’s edition of the GAGE Awards 2021.

At this year’s GAGE Awards night, Arise TV News Online emerged the Online News Platform of the Year 2020/21.

The event was a coming together of stars of internet Africa virtually to celebrate the great feats achieved by individuals and brands, which have made lives easier and better, especially in the year of the pandemic.

At the show hosted by the ex-BBNaija star, Bisola, there were cameo appearances by top entertainers such as comedian Damola, Josh2Funny, BKB the Magician, Badboy Timz and teenage sensation Batya Anorh serenaded the audience with her amazing sound.

In different categories, Nengi Hampson beat Erica Nlewedim, Pamilerin Adegoke, Aisha Yesuf and Tomike Adeoye to emerge the Africa’s best Influencer of 2020/21. This category was determined by public nominations and votes. The Big Brother Naija Lockdown season revelation has been on a steady rise as an Influencer since she left the BBNaija lockdown house bagging numerous endorsement deals with top brands.

Meanwhile, the Banking App of the Year which was contested by top banks in Nigeria, such as GTBank, Access Bank, VBank, Alat by Wema and Zenith Bank, was won by Vbank, surprisingly defeating the already established traditional banks.

The Online Comedian of the Year category was won by Mr. Macaroni, who emerged champion in that highly coveted category. “Mr. Macaroni has shown a lot of consistency with his ‘Sugar Daddy’ character which has brought joy to Nigerians,” the organisers said.

Also, MTN Nigeria won the Data Service Provider of the Year category in a tight competition. “Data was instrumental to our survival during the pandemic and we saw an upsurge in the usage of more data in the thick of the pandemic for many reasons. This category was an audience choice category, and MTN can be proud of themselves as the people’s choice, wresting the crown from Airtel, who won last year,” they said.

Other GAGE winners were Ndani Tv, which won the Content Creator of the Year; Fishbone the movie emerged the Online Film and Documentary of the Year; RED Tv’s series ‘The Men’s Club’ came tops in the Web series of the Year.

However, DSTV Nigeria website won the Website of the Year among four other outstanding websites, while the podcast, ‘I Said What I Said’, won the Podcast of the Year category, and Nairametrics picked up the Blog of the Year among other top blogs.

Mobile phone brand, Oppo, won the Online Campaign of the Year with its #ShotOnOppo campaign, which did not only engage the audience in 2020, but also met the brand marketing objectives.

According to the organisers of the award, “One of the biggest awards on the night was the GAGE STAR Award which celebrated the most outstanding digital mind that revolutionalised the digital space with an interesting innovation that made life easier and simpler in 2020/21, was the Online Comic Act Josh2Funny.”

“It made history by becoming the first ever GAGE Star Award winner. His ingenious idea #Don’tleavemechallenge went viral beyond the shores of Africa to become a global phenomenon. It brought joy to many in the grim year of the pandemic across the world. He is deserving of this recognition,” the organisers stated.

This is the second edition of the GAGE Awards. It is a comprehensive celebration of individuals, groups and brands that have impacted lives by making life easier and better for all. GAGE Awards has been consistent in facilitating growth, driving innovation and attracting new talents to the digital space.