Journalist and Station Manager at GTC Radio in Grenada, Mr. Milton Coy, has claimed the top spot in the 2013 Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) Media Awards on Water. Mr. Coy’s radio submission comprised of a series of public awareness programmes under the themes “Water Conservation and Best Practices in Water Management.”The series of radio programmes which were hosted by Mr. Coy were aired during the week of the United Nations’ World Water Day which is celebrated on March 22nd each year. These programmes were used to creatively build awareness on World Water Day and how the Grenadian public could play a part in water conservation.
The competition’s judging panel consisted of a mix of Caribbean experts and professionals which included Professor Henry Smith, Director of the Water Resources Institute of the University of the Virgin Islands;
Dr. Riad Nurmohamed, Lecturer, Researcher and Head of Department of the Anton De Kom University of Suriname; Mr. Timothy Austin, Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Water Incorporated; Dr. Maria Protz, Communication for Development Consultant based in Jamaica; and Mr. John Bowleg, Hydrologist at the Water and Sewerage Corporation of The Bahamas.
According to the judges, Mr. Coy’s radio submissions were “relevant, creative, fresh and insightful.” The judges felt that the various programmes covered water issues that would get the general public’s attention and that key messages were clearly communicated. The panel also recognised Mr. Coy’s ability to touch on several water related issues in different ways through interviews and call-in sessions. As the winner of the competition, Mr. Coy will receive the first place award and a cash prize.
The GWP-C Media Awards on Water was launched in March 2012 in an effort to inspire Caribbean journalists to report more on water and also to commemorate World Water Day. This year’s competition which ended on May 12th, 2013 called for media practitioners in the areas of print, television, radio and multi-media to submit original, published works on themes such as Water Cooperation in the Caribbean; Water Conservation; Water and Environment; Water for All; Water Financing; Climate Change; Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM); among other water related topics.
After careful deliberation by the judging panel, the following entrants were deemed worthy of Honourable Mention:
Mr. Desmond Brown based in Antigua, a Caribbean Contributor for the Inter Press Service for his print submissions under the themes “Climate Change; Water and Environment; and Best Practices in Water Management.” His print pieces explored a new initiative that incorporates information on weather and climate into farm processes; and steps taken by the United Nations to highlight water both as an asset and a resource as well as potential actions by the tourism industry to face up to the water challenge. In another article, he also examined steps to be taken by a water utility in the region to improve water efficiency. The competition’s judges stated that Mr. Brown’s print submissions were all very informative and that he made great use of evidence-based journalism techniques.
Dr. Soerinder Badal from Suriname, the Public Relations Coordinator for Overliggend Waterschap MCP (Overlying Waterboard MCP) for his multimedia submission under the theme “Water Cooperation Initiatives.” His submission highlighted initiatives of the Waterboard in Suriname in bringing various stakeholders together at the national, regional and international level for better water management. The short documentary also captured the work of the Waterboard in commemorating World Water Day and 2013 as it has been declared the International Year of Water Cooperation by the United Nations. The judges felt that this entry was engaging and of a high quality. Mr. Brown and Dr. Badal will each receive a cash prize and a trophy.
GWP-C believes that more value should be placed on water and media practitioners are key players in helping to build greater awareness on water issues among the general public. Due to increased interest in the Media Awards on Water, GWP-C plans to introduce some exciting changes to next year’s competition to encompass more categories of journalists.
More on the winning journalists and the Media Awards on Water can be found at: www.gwp-caribbean.org
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