The award in it’s third edition held at the Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Friday, 8th December attracted journalists, media managers and industry experts.
According to the organisers, the awards aimed to recognise and reward professionalism and excellence in journalism.
It also aimed to celebrate the outstanding contributions of media professionals in Nigeria.
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager of Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Victoria Uwadoka said,
“This platform allows us to acknowledge and appreciate the invaluable role that journalists play in shaping public opinion and driving positive change in our society.
“Nestlé Nigeria remains committed to supporting the media industry and promoting the highest standards of journalism. The Media Awards serve as a testament to this commitment, providing a platform for us to highlight and reward the exceptional talent and professionalism of journalists in Nigeria.”
She continued that the awards provided a platform for highlighting the expertise and dedication of journalists focused on nutrition, building thriving communities and protecting the planet, across various platforms as it continued to honour those who had demonstrated outstanding skills in reporting, investigative journalism, feature writing, and other categories, adding “We are excited to host the 3rd edition of Nestlé Nigeria Media Award.”
The awards covered categories that align with Nestlé’s focus areas, including Affordable Nutrition, Environmental Sustainability, Access to Water, Improving Household Incomes, Youth Empowerment, Women Empowerment, Finance, Building Thriving Communities, Agriculture, Nutrition Education for Children and WASH, published in print, online or broadcast channels.
A distinguished panel of judges, comprising industry experts and seasoned communicators, evaluated the entries based on criteria such as accuracy, originality, impact, balance, depth and adherence to ethical standards.
Austin Nweze, a member of the panel of judges at the event highlited winning criterias used to select winners.
“This is my third year in this award, this year is so difficult for me and my colleagues too. We looked at the grammar and sentence construction to make sure that this one did this and this t one did that. We tried to select the winners, we had to agree on the template. We worked until three days to the awards ceremony just to make sure we select the right winners. So if you don’t win, you are still a winner too. I appreciate you all,” he said.
Another member of the panel of judges, Dr. (Mrs.) Chioma Nwachukwu at the event appreciated the journalists who entered for the award for their commitment to media practice in Nigeria.
“I appreciate the journalists for the job well done. There was actually lots of improvements in the presentations, they have done well,” she said.
Nwachukwu did not fail to note some observations and areas journalists were not careful about the rules of the awards.
“We will also like to tell the journalists about our observations so they can continue to be winners,” she said.
She asked the journalists to observe the rules.
“Remember that in this particular activity, we had our set criteria. Some people didn’t respect the criteria, so there was no way to start assessing those entries,” she said.
She however suggested that participants should endeavour to study the rules in future awards.
“I will suggest that journalists entering for awards should look and go around the criteria that have been set. Some people just repeat what Nestlé has given them, there will be no depth and extra input and nothing to show passion that they have gone a step ahead,” she noted.
One of the recipients collecting her award
List of winners and runner-ups
Photo Journalism Category
Adekunle Àjàyí – 1st
Olasupo Osunde – 2nd
Kazeem Bakare – 3rd
Agriculture Category
Edet Udoh- 1st
Bonny Amadi – 2nd
Samuel Diala – 3rd
Nutritious & Affordable Foods Solutions Category
Rahmatullah Mahmud – 1st
Edet Udoh- 2nd
Chioma Obinna – 3rd
Community Category
Edet Udoh- 1st
Odimegwu Onwumere – 2nd
Chioma Umeha -3rd
Environmental Sustainability Category
Amechi Obiakpu – 1st
Augusta Uchediumor- 2nd
Nsukuma Ntia – 3rd
Finance Category
Chioma Umeha – 1st
Shaba Gbenga – 2nd
Odume Azubuike – 3rd
Women Empowerment Category
Odimegwu Onwumere 1st
Rahmatullah Mahmud and Vivian Ihechu (tie)
Youth Development and Empowerment
Category
Edet Udoh- 1st
Odimegwu Onwumere – 2nd
Amechi Obiakpu – 3rd
Winners of each category went home with a laptop each while runner-ups went home with phones and career enhancing prizes.
