Nigerian Breweries Plc has announced plans for its Golden Pen Award for 2014. The company made the announcement today at a press briefing at its Lagos Brewery bar, Abebe Village Road, Iganmu, Lagos.
Unlike previous years where the award was centred on Nigerian Breweries reports, journalists and media houses are now expected to send in entries based on selected Corporate Social Responsibility themes. This year’s award would be focused on Education and Youth Empowerment and each individual/reporter has an opportunity to send in a total of 3 reports on these topics published between January and December 2013. According to Mr. Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser this is to encourage the media to focus on critical sectors of the Nigerian economy. He said collection of entries for the 2014 Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Awards will close on Friday, April 25, 2014.
All entries are to be sent to the independent coordinating agency, Mediacraft Associates viaGoldenpen2014@mediacraft.ng. Mediacraft Associates will collate all entries submitted for assessment by a jury. The jury will analyse the reports and photographs for their Originality, News Value, Use of Resources, Credibility and factuality. Other areas of interest would include Info-graphics, Lay out/Headline, Clarity and Social impact.
Speaking further, the Corporate Affairs Adviser detailed the categories of the award and the prizes to include: The Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Reporter of the Year (Special statuette + N1, 000, 000.00); first runner up for the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Reporter of the Year (Special statuette + N300, 000.00) and second runner up for the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Reporter of the Year (Special statuette + N200, 000.00).
Others are: The Nigerian Breweries Report of the Year (Special statuette + N500, 000.00); The Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Photojournalist of the Year (Special statuette + N300, 000.00); first runner up for the Nigerian Breweries Photojournalist of the Year (Special statuette + N250, 000.00) and second runner up for the Nigerian Breweries Photojournalist of the Year (Special statuette + N200, 000.00). Winners will be announced and awarded their prizes at the 6th Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award ceremony in June 2014.
The Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Award was inaugurated in 2008 to celebrate the partnership between Nigerian Breweries and the Nigerian media. The award was introduced to promote professionalism and objective reportage of events in corporate Nigeria. It is also meant to reward journalists who abide by the fine ethics of the profession. The award has so far produced six winners in the Journalist of the year category and three others in the Photo Journalist of the year category. They include Messrs Wale Alabi of the Nation Newspapers who won in 2008; Lekan Babatunde & Ralph Tathagata of M2, joint winners in 2009; Mrs Neta Nwosu of the Sun Newspapers who won in 2010, Ntia Usukuma whose report in Saturday Guardian was adjudged best for the 2011 and Sylva Emeka-Okereke of the Daily Champion who emerged as winner in 2012. Our recognition also goes to Messrs Sulaiman Hussaini and the late Tunde Ogundeji, both of Nigerian Compass who won the Golden Pen Photographer of the year award in 2009, 2010 and 2011; and Kingston Daniel of the Daily Champion who was declared Photojournalist of the year in 2012.
