THE agriculture sector, the country’s economic backbone, would be taking the center stage soon as the 4th Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards has kicked off in Cagayan de Oro Tuesday.
Carlo Antonio L. Suntay, business development manager of ActivAsia Inc., said the Bright Leaf award has been giving the agriculture industry a voice through the journalists for four years.
Suntay said the Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards is the premier annual nationwide competition that seeks out the most important agricultural pieces and honors the journalists behind them.
“The award hopes to grow participation, raise awareness, cultivate excellence and enthusiasm in agricultural journalism, sustain widespread interest and kindred partnerships, and build relevance,” Suntay said during a press conference held yesterday at the VIP Hotel.
Launched in 2007, Suntay said the Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards hopes to recognize the best print features, radio pieces, video stories or photographs that chronicle and capture the agricultural landscape of the times, believing that by recognizing the efforts of the journalists, it raises awareness and support for the people who feed and fuel the country.
The award is open to writers and photographers in print, radio and television.
At least 10 categories are up for grabs in the contest -- Agricultural Story of the Year, Tobacco Story of the Year, Best Television Program or Segment, Best Radio Program or Segment, Agricultural Photo of the Year, Tobacco Photo of the Year, Best Regional News Story, Best National News Story, Best Regional Features Story and Best National Features Story.
This year’s Bright Leaf awards also introduce a new category, the Oriental Leaf Awards, which aims to honor the constant Bright Leaf contributors and winners through the years.
To join, the entries must be published between June 30, 2009 to October 1, 2010.
Suntay said participants must be 18 years old and above. Print and photo entries may be submitted either through snail mail or uploaded in the website while radio and television entries should be in a CD or DVD and must be submitted to the Bright Leaf Secretariat at 291 St. Joseph Street, Oranbo Drive, Pasig City, Metro Manila, Philippines 1110.
Suntay said anybody can join as long as their entries are published within the specified period.
In 2009, he said more than 600 submitted their entries while for this year, they are expecting more than 800 entries.
“There’s no limit as to the length of the story or radio/TV program because we don’t want to compromise the participants’ creativity,” Suntay said.
At stake for the winners are P50,000 each for the best agricultural and tobacco stories plus either a laptop or an ipod and a trip to a Southeast Asian country.
Winners for the best agricultural and tobacco photos, best TV program or segment and best radio program or segment would also get P50,000 each while the best regional and national news stories and best regional and national features stories would take home P20,000 each.(Terry D.C. Betonio)