Media Awards on Development announced

Awards: Media Reporting on Development at Development Networks

Media Reporting on Development: Provocative and Original Stories

The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) received 186 high quality entries for these awards for reporting on international development. 100 Journalists from around the world submitted their best articles, news pieces, critiques, and editorials that focused on poverty alleviation, democracy and governance, rights, health, and other Millennium Development Goals.

The First Place Award went to Nilanjana Bhowmick for the article "India Under Pressure to Do More to Stop Child Labour," originally published in Time.com, which focused on the employment of children as domestic workers when they should be in school.

James Georgalakis, Communications Manager at IDS and one of the panel of judges, said: "The winner produced a very well crafted piece of journalism that conveys the complexities of the issues whilst staying grounded in the experiences and words of real people directly caught up in the situation. Nilanjana Bhowmick engages the reader immediately and provides real voice to those affected by child labour and to civil society organisations. This is a really excellent example of development journalism on people’s rights and the need for political and social change."

Two Runners Up were also awarded. One went to Bamuturaki Musinguzi for the article "Evicted from Forests, the Batwa are destitute," published in The East African. This article focused on the plight of the Batwa Pygmies or ‘Twa’ who have been driven out of their traditional home sin the forests of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

The other went to Teresa Rehman for the article "Young girls face trafficking as lack of rain drives worsening rural poverty," published by Reuters Alertnet. This article examined the unforeseen effects of climate change in India, as poverty drives the illegal trafficking of young women.

Special mention also went to Manshi Asheri for the article "Towering blots on the peaks," which looks at the effects of hydroelectric constructions in India and was published in The Tribune.

Particular weight was given to pieces which showcased the voices of those affected by or engaged in development. This competition forms part of an ongoing programme of work carried out by IDS to support and encourage quality development journalism both in the UK and elsewhere.

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