7th November, Abuja – Nigeria Health Watch has announced the third edition of the #PreventEpidemicsNaija Journalism Awards ceremony to celebrate evidence-based and accurate reporting of epidemic preparedness in Nigeria is now open. Nominations close on Monday, January 2, 2023, and winners will be announced at an award ceremony on January 27, 2023.
The #PreventEpidemicsNaija Journalism Awards honours journalists who have reported on all dimensions of epidemic preparedness in Nigeria in digital/print, audio and video formats.
The media significantly affects how the public responds to health issues. The need to go beyond reporting on an outbreak’s response to discussing what needs to be done to prepare for the future outbreak
It is important that the vital role of the media is recognized and the aim of the #PreventEpidemicsNaija Journalism awards is to further elevate their role as the fourth estate, as they frame the issues of the day, providing a critical channel that defends the public interest, ensuring the public has access to information.
Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director, Nigeria Health Watch, “Many countries are threatened by pathogens spreading around the world, as we saw with the #COVID19 pandemic”.
Ihekweazu stated, “We need to ensure that our health security structure to respond to
current and future health emergencies is strengthened”.
Uche Nwagboso, Communications Manager, Nigeria Health Watch said “Media engagement is a core part of the prevent epidemics project. Preparedness for future pandemics is essential and our partnerships with journalists have helped drive our advocacy, we are
delighted for this opportunity to recognize their good work and celebrate them”.
Speaking on what the judges will be looking out for Nwagboso also added that “the judges will recognize work that highlights and scrutinizes the critical aspects of any outbreak response: epidemic preparedness, surveillance, and detection, critically sustained and stable funding”.
To be eligible for the 2022 awards, journalists across Nigeria are invited to send in work published or broadcast from January to December 2022. Published submissions from freelancers are also welcome.
Criteria for Nomination
The nominated article, programme or production should capture the following themes and
must have been published or aired between the period of January 1, 2021, to November 30, 2021:
- Communicate the many dimensions of epidemic preparedness in Nigeria
- Inform on the current state of epidemic preparedness in Nigeria, with a special focus on funding
- Highlight and scrutinize budgeting and funding for epidemic preparedness in Nigeria
- Improve community awareness on infectious diseases, empower citizens to demand more funding for epidemic preparedness and hold power to account.
Eligibility criteria
Print News:
Length of submission: Written articles of minimum of 650 words in length published in print format/platform
Online News:
Length of Submission: Written articles of minimum of 650 words, videos of a minimum of 1 minute 30 seconds in length published on online media platform
Radio: Length of submission: Radio show – 5 minutes or longer.
Television: Length of submission: TV show/Media Report – 3 minutes or longer
Nomination Process
Awards nominations can be submitted online: HERE
Journalists, readers, media institutions or other interested individuals such as civil society and academia may submit nominations.
Each valid nomination must contain the name of the nominee, verifiable details of the published article(s) or programme(s), their media affiliation(s) and the contact information (email address and phone number) of the nominee.
Multiple submissions are encouraged
About Nigeria Health Watch
Nigeria Health Watch is a not-for-profit health communication and advocacy organisation
that seeks to advocate for better healthcare for Nigerians, engaging and supporting the government to raise awareness, knowledge, and engagement on a wide range of health issues in Nigeria.
We aim to hold duty bearers accountable for delivering affordable and quality healthcare to Nigerians. The unique capacity of Nigeria Health Watch lies in its communication expertise which enables the organisation to provide solutions for evidence-based advocacy and communication in the health sector.
Learn more at www.nigeriahealthwatch.com
For more information about the #PreventEpidemicsNaija Journalism Awards please contact:
Contact person Nigeria Health Watch: Uche Nwagboso
Phone number: +234 814 137 6913 Email: uche@nigeriahealthwatch.com
Add Comment