The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) has announced the launch of a new award to honour outstanding reporting on HIV/AIDS in the Asia-Pacific region. “The inaugural ABU Prize for HIV/AIDS Programmes recognises the efforts of broadcasters in creating programmes of a high-standard that educate the public about HIV/AIDS, while at the same time help reduce the stigma facing those already living with the disease,” said Francyne Harrigan, Development Projects Manager at the ABU.
“The competition is an integral part of ABU’s commitment of galvanising media’s power in Asia-Pacific to help reduce the AIDS epidemic. Through this initiative, we hope to increase the number of media companies actively developing or airing HIV/AIDS-related programming,” Ms Harrigan added.
The ABU Prizes were established in 1964 and recognise excellence across a variety of television and radio programming genres. The new award is sponsored by the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI), an initiative originally conceived by UNAIDS and the Kaiser Family Foundation. GMAI’s support to the award forms part of its effort to increase and sustain media coverage of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, to improve the breadth and substantiveness of HIV/AIDS reporting and to increase access by journalists worldwide to the most current information on HIV/AIDS.
Entrants have until 15 September 2008 to send in their work. Judging of the entries will take place in October 2008, by an independent judging panel appointed by the ABU. The Award recipient will win US$2500 cash prize and will be flown to Bali, Indonesia to attend the gala award ceremony on 24 November 2008. The ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 45th ABU General Assembly.
About the Award
The ABU Prize for HIV/AIDS Programmes is open to all ABU member organisations. Entrants may submit up to two entries and the entries must have been first broadcast after September 2007. Programmes which have won a prize in any other international competition are also eligible.
Entrants have until 15 September 2008 to send in their work. Judging of the entries will take place in October 2008, by an independent judging panel appointed by the ABU. The Award recipient will win US$2500 cash prize and will be flown to Bali, Indonesia to attend the gala award ceremony on 24 November 2008. The ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 45th ABU General Assembly.
More information about the ABU Prize for HIV/AIDS Programmes can be found at www.abu.org.my/abuprizeHIVAIDS
(Source: Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union)
