Golden Pen awards to hold on Friday

The ninth edition of the Golden Pen Awards will hold at the Zinnia hall of the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, on October 6, 2017.

The programme, which is hosted Nigerian Breweries, focuses on reports published in 2016 on Agriculture, local sourcing and industrial development.

“The Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Reporter of the Year will be rewarded with a special statuette and N2 million, the first runner-up in the same category will get a special statuette and N1 million while the second runner-up will receive a special statuette and N750,000,” the organisers said in a statement.

“In the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Photojournalist of the Year category, the winner will be honoured with a special statuette and N1 million, the first runner-up will receive a special statuette and N750,000 while the second runner-up will get N500,000.

“For the Nigerian Breweries Golden Pen Report of the Year, the category reserved for reports on Nigerian Breweries and its brands throughout the preceding year, the winner will receive a special statuette and N1 million. The three top place winners will each also receive a high-end work tool part of their prizes.

Commenting on the awards, Kufre Ekanem, corporate affairs adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc, said the company chose Agriculture, local sourcing and industrial development, as the theme for the 2017 edition to help direct attention towards the potential of the country to become a self-reliant and prosperous nation.

“As the agenda setters, we believe that the media has a vital role to play in directing the attention of key stakeholders to the role that agriculture, local sourcing and industrial development can play towards the nation’s economic recovery,” he said.

“We are of the opinion that given the huge natural resource potential of our country, it is vital to drive backward integration with a focus on these areas to make our country prosperous.”

The company added that the award criteria of quality, professionalism and objectivity will remain the filters upon which entries will be shortlisted for the awards.