ABU DHABI // A road show aimed at gathering submissions for the first international awards dedicated to the sport media industry is in progress, with the president of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) calling for journalists to “showcase your indispensable contribution to global sport storytelling”.
The Sport Media Pearl Awards road show will visit key global sporting events, among them the Diamond League Athletics Championship in Doha, the Uefa European Championships Under 21 in Prague, the Fifa Congress in Zurich, Switzerland; the Uefa Champions League final in Berlin, the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan; the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada; and the IAAF World Championship in Beijing, ahead of the deadline for submissions in September.
The road show has already visited Paris, for the European Athletics Indoor Championships, Prague and events in Manaus, Brazil; Schwerin, Germany; and Sochi, Russia.
Most recently, the awards were presented at a series of events in Kampala, Uganda, where Gianni Merlo, AIPS president, met journalists at the Vision Group, the country’s biggest multimedia platform.
The awards were also introduced at a convention of journalists from the East and Central African Association and at a special press gala attended by the vice president of Uganda as well as the minister for culture.
Managed by AIPS and hosted by Abu Dhabi Media, the company that publishes The National, the awards seek to recognise and reward quality across all disciplines and platforms dedicated to sport reporting, ranging from video to digital and audio to the written word.
The awards were announced in March at the 78th AIPS annual congress, at the Louvre Museum, Paris, and attended by more than 300 delegates from more than 100 countries. Registrations and submissions from around the world have already been logged at the special website sportmediapearlawards.com.
Those submitting their work will be eligible for a US$10,000 (Dh36,700) first prize and a week of events in Abu Dhabi leading up to final presentations this December.
Special interest has been shown in the Sport For a Better World Award, which offers $10,000 to the journalist highlighting a sporting event or initiative aimed at bettering the lives of the less fortunate and which pledges a further $50,000 to the enterprise that is the subject of the winning coverage.
Speaking at the launch of the road show Merlo said: “This road show marks the beginning of a very important initiative for our industry, which mediates the world of sport to the ordinary enthusiast. The industry faces many challenges, especially in the digital age, and my plea to all sport media professionals is to take part in these awards because they are an opportunity to showcase your indispensable contribution to global sport storytelling”.
Mohamed Ebraheem Al Mahmood, chairman and managing director of Abu Dhabi Media, said: “Abu Dhabi Media is pleased to host the Sport Media Pearl Awards. The partnering with AIPS comes in recognition of the important role sport journalism plays across the globe. As a leading media organisation, we see it as our duty to acknowledge and support those who deliver exceptional reporting to the public and foster and inspirational dialogue.”
After submissions close, the 24 member AIPS executive committee will take on the task of reducing entries to 10 in each eligible category.
A special jury comprising 10 leading sport media professionals drawn from across the world and one special sport ambassador will decide the winner and two runners-up, all of whom will receive a cash prize and an invitation to Abu Dhabi. The composition of the jury will be announced in Abu Dhabi in early November.
A temporary exhibition showcasing submissions, and a special two-day conference dedicated to the sport media industry will take place in the week preceding the final awards ceremony.
For details of the awards, and how to register and submit, and eligibility, go to sportmediapearlawards.com
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