2011 Sustainable Tourism Media Awards draws near

The annual awards are slated for 16 September 2011 in Kampala, following the deadline for the submission of entries on 31 August 2011, according to a statement issued by USAID STAR (Sustainable Tourism in the Albertine Rift Program) last week.

This year's awards will come on the back of the inaugural awards held in Kampala last year. The event is jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Trade, and Industry (MTTI), the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB ), the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA), and the USAID-STAR (Sustainable Tourism in the Albertine Rift Program) among others.

Categories and prizes

The awards are in categories of print, radio and television broadcast as well as the honorable mention for regional reporters from the Albertine Rift. "Each prime winner will be awarded UGX1  000 000 plus other prizes, the two runners-up will receive UgX 500 000 each plus other prizes," according to the STAR website.

The Media Awards Program was among several collaborative actions that were proposed and agreed upon by stakeholders from various organisations at the STAR-Uganda Program's collaborative planning retreat in October 2009.

The media representatives at the meeting lobbied for an annual programme to recognise journalists and media houses that cover tourism and conservation related issues with the highest standards, hence the awards.

2011 Population Secretariat Media Awards

Also in the offering are the 2011 Population Secretariat Media Awards, organised by the Population Secretariat with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The awards will honour journalists who report on reproductive health, gender, population growth, migration, urbanisation, human resource and employment issues in Uganda.

The award's committee are looking for print and electronic entries which were either published or aired between August 2010 and August 2011.