Launch Of IUCN Environmental Media Awards

Launch Of IUCN-Reuters-Complus Environmental Media Awards 2010

Gland, Switzerland/London, UK 14 June 2010 – IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Thomson Reuters Foundation and COMplus are launching the 2010 Media Awards, a worldwide competition aimed at raising global awareness of environmental and sustainable development issues, by encouraging the highest standards in environmental reporting worldwide.

The awards, co-funded by IUCN and the COMplus Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development, are aimed at journalists working in print and online media. They are invited to submit entries to the 2010 IUCN–Reuters-COMplus Media Awards. Winners will be selected by a panel of environmental and media experts.

“Good information, like good science, is instrumental in getting the right kind of actions to conserve nature, preserve biodiversity and fight climate change,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of IUCN. “The IUCN–Reuters-COMplus Media Awards, by supporting the best in environmental reporting, contributes to bringing the best information to the public, decision makers and anybody whose actions affect the environment.”

50 reporters have been recognized since the launch of the competition in 1998. Previous winners have come from countries as diverse as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, El Salvador, Germany, Great Britain, Kenya, Macedonia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Togo, USA and Zimbabwe.

“The IUCN–Reuters–Complus Awards recognize media professionals that make a difference in their reporting by connecting environmental issues to people’s daily concerns in a way that only journalists can do," says Sergio Jellinek, Chair of COMplus. “COMplus has been supporting this activity as both IUCN and Reuters are members of the Alliance.”

US$5,000 cash prize for global winner

Six regional winners will be awarded a cash prize of $500 each. The Global winner of the 2010 IUCN–Reuters–COMplus Environmental Media Award will be selected from the regional winners and will receive a cash prize of $5,000 as well as a travel grant to attend the award ceremony to be held at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan.

The six regions considered are: Latin America; North America, including the Caribbean and Oceania; Europe; Asia, including the Middle East; English-speaking Africa; and French-speaking Africa.

Candidates may submit one article only, which must have been published between 11 June 2008 and 31 July 2010. Entries written in a language other than English, French or Spanish must be accompanied by a translation.

“Accurate, reliable reporting on environmental issues can help save lives. It also helps ensure the creation of policy solutions that work;” says Monique Villa, Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO. “Journalists play a key role in bringing together those at the front lines of environmental and sustainable development crises like climate change, and those at the front lines of policy making. This award recognizes writers who, by providing good information, make a difference.”

The deadline for entries is 31 July 2010.

More information and application forms can be found on the Reuters Foundation website at:
www.trust.org and the IUCN website at www.iucn.org/media_awards

ENDS

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