Nigeria Health Watch, a not-for-profit health communication and advocacy organization that seeks to advocate for better health for Nigerians, is inviting journalists, readers, media institutions, civil society organisations, academia, and other interested individuals and entities to submit nominations for the #PreventEpidemicsNaija Journalism Awards (PEJA) 2023/2024.
Beginning in 2021 and in its fourth edition, the Nigeria Health Watch rewards journalists for exemplary Epidemic Preparedness and Response (EPR) reporting through the PEJA by bringing together key stakeholders in the Nigerian health security space, including heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) responsible for implementing the National Action Plan for Health Security.
Nigeria Health Watch used the first three editions of the awards to recognise and honour journalists for the crucial role they played in spreading awareness of the significance of epidemic preparedness and response, current information about COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria’s response to the pandemic, and other infectious disease outbreaks. Winners of the 2023 edition were from notable Nigerian newsrooms and media organisations, including Africa Independent Television (AIT), Voice of Nigeria, and Premium Times.
Highlighting the importance of the media in epidemic preparedness and response during the third edition of the award ceremony, Ms Vivianne Ihekweazu, Managing Director of Nigeria Health Watch, said: “Recognising our susceptibility to disease outbreaks underscores the necessity for a robust health security system hence, it is important we gather to honor exceptional journalists who have persistently championed the cause of epidemic preparedness and response in Nigeria.”
The PEJA 2024 award ceremony will be partnering with Nigeria Healthcare Excellence Award (NHEA), an initiative that celebrates individuals and organisations in the Nigerian healthcare sector and which has been instrumental in raising awareness, setting standards, and promoting excellence in healthcare services.
Leveraging the NHEA’s reach, this year’s award seeks to celebrate outstanding journalists who have continued to play a key role in advocating for epidemic preparedness in Nigeria and encourage increased reportage of EPR stories in the Nigerian media space. Winners will be announced at an award ceremony scheduled to hold on June 21, 2024.
Eligible nominations include materials produced for the print, online radio, and television. Print and online articles should be a minimum of 650 words long while the online videos should be a minimum of 1 minute 30 seconds in length published on online media platform. Submission for radio should be five minutes or longer, and three minutes or longer for nominations of television broadcasts.
Nominated articles, programmes or productions should capture the following themes and must have been published or aired between January 1, 2023, and May 22, 2024:
- 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.
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.
Nominations must be made online and be submitted HERE.
Multiple submissions are encouraged. Deadline for submission of nominations is May 23, 2024
