"With the prevalence of diabetes increasing throughout the world, there is a greater need to provide the public with information about the disease," says Shelley Harris, the PR manager at Novo Nordisk South Africa. "The media plays a significant role in getting the message out about the various aspects of the diabetes and the management of the two different types of diabetes; we therefore established this prize to reward well-researched, clear and accessible communications in the field."
The start of the awards process coincides with World Diabetes Day, which is celebrated globally on 14 November. The organisation hopes the prize will encourage and incentivise journalists that work in the healthcare and lifestyle arena to write more about diabetes to educate the public.
Winning entries stand in line to win a cash prize plus an international trip to Novo Nordisk headquarters in Denmark to learn more about best practice care in Diabetes treatment. Entries will be adjudicated by an expert panel of judges, which consists of journalists, medical professionals and representatives from patient organisations that are independent of Novo Nordisk.
"What we're looking for is coverage of the disease covering prevention, treatment, health issues etc. The articles must not be about products, research and views. They must have appeared in the general media and be interesting, appealing and factually correct," says Harris. "We're looking for journalists who've grasped the depth of the subject, but who've communicated it in an accessible and noteworthy way."
Details and entry forms about the competition will be available on www.novonordisk.co.za from 9 November. Interested journalists may email Shelley Harris on moc.ksidronovon@hsr for entry details.
Updated at 4.41pm on 2 November 2011.
