LEADING community newspaper in Negros Occidental, SunStar Bacolod, has nine nominations in six categories of the Globe Media Excellence Awards (GMEA) 2020, a search that honors media, bloggers, social media influencers as frontliners in the time of pandemic.
Its multimedia content editor and reporter Erwin Nicavera's special report dubbed "Emotional Monster" is nominated for Explanatory/Investigative Video Story of the Year for Digital category.
The Tatak Negros: Support local, Buy Local!, a feature segment produced by Nicavera, is also nominated for Social Media Advocacy of the Year.
Three of his news stories: Urban farming gaining ground amid pandemic, Barter group helps Negrense farmers cope with pandemic, and Virtual barter community thrives in NegOcc amid Covid pandemic are also nominated for News Report of the Year for Print category.
Nicavera's two-part special report "A threatening emotional monster" is nominated for Explanatory/Investigative Story or Documentary of the Year for Print category.
Two more stories written by Nicavera -- Sharing Filipino compassion amid global health crisis and Urban farming gaining ground amid pandemic -- are nominated for Covid-19 Story of the Year.
SunStar Bacolod Specials' feature "Plant. Grow. Share" hosted and produced by Nicavera is also nominated for Community Development Story of the Year category.
Globe Telecom, in a statement, said embracing virtual experiences as the new normal, it is going digital for this year's GMEA in a bid to recognize the exceptional and agile work of journalists, bloggers, and social media influencers in the Visayas and Mindanao who continue to cover the impact of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic amid the risks and disruptions.
The GMEA 2020 is anchored on the issues and realities of "Life in the New Normal," such as the Covid-19 response, the impact of quarantine on different sectors, and the difficult road to economic recovery.
Moreover, entries should also be in line with Globe's commitment to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals such as care for the environment, positive societal impact, care for people, and the digital nation.
Yoly Crisanto, chief sustainability officer and senior vice president for Corporate Communications of Globe, said GMEA 2020 comes at an unusual time as the world faces a shared health and economic crisis that presents new ways of living.
"Media plays an important role in the Covid-19 response even as it poses challenges to the industry, like a quick pivot to more digital content. As an ICT enabler, Globe wants to champion stories that show us different life perspectives during the pandemic," she added.
In line with the changing tides, the award giving body added new categories such as Covid-19 Story of the Year and and Community Development Story of the Year.
The Covid-19 Story of the Year category recognizes the best story that covers the pandemic which demonstrates excellent, resourceful, and factual narrative of the issue.
The Community Development Story of the Year category, on the other hand, recognizes the best story that promotes community development which focuses on the digitalization of communities or sustainability programs.
GMEA has expanded its coverage to Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, Bohol, and Tacloban/Ormoc in the Visayas as well as Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Zamboanga in Mindanao.
Globe said it has received over 400 entries from the Visayas and Mindanao for this year's search.
The winners will be announced through a live-streamed event on Thursday, November 26, via www.Facebook.com/GlobeICON.
The same standards of excellence were applied for all contenders for an award, whether their works are written in English, Bisaya, Hiligaynon, or Chavacano, it said.
Globe first launched its Media Excellence Awards in 2012 to promote freedom of the press and media excellence by recognizing media practitioners who demonstrate excellence in their field of work.