San Miguel Corp. teamed up again with the Philippine Agricultural Journalists Inc. for the 2016 PAJ-SMC Binhi Awards, the group’s annual national agricultural journalism contest that is now open to online journalists.
PAJ president Roman Floresca said the support of SMC, under president and chief operating officer RamonAng, to the Binhi Awards was a big boost to Philippine journalism and stakeholders in the agriculture sector.
“We sincerely thank SMC for its strong support to the PAJ through four decades and counting, particularly the ‘Binhi Awards’ as we continue to raise the bar of coverage and reportage of the country’s agricultural developments and breakthroughs, and success stories of farmers, fishers, livestock raisers, food manufacturers, and agribusinessmen,” said Floresca.
SMC and PAJ recently formalized the agreement at the SMC main office in Mandaluyong City.
The PAJ Board designated PAJ vice president for internal affairs Noel Reyes as contest chair.
The 2016 PAJ-SMC Binhi Awards will offer cash prizes, ranging from P15,000 to P50,000, for 17 individual and institutional contest categories.
Starting this year, online journalists can now compete in three major categories, which include: agricultural journalist, agri-beat reporter, and environment journalist, where the first, second and third place winners will receive P50,000, P30,000 and P20,000 cash prizes, respectively.
Reyes said that in previous years, only print journalists from national and regional newspapers, agricultural magazines and other publications vied for major and minor individual categories.
Print and online journalists can compete in other four minor individual categories which include the agri news story, agri feature story, environment story, and climate story of the year. One winner per category will be awarded a P15,000 cash prize and a trophy.
The other 2016 PAJ-SMC Binhi Awards minor categories are: agriphoto journalist; agri section of a national and regional or provincial newspaper; agri magazine; agri newsletter; national and regional agri radio program; national and regional agri TV program; and agri info and/or media campaign of government agency. Winners will each get P20,000 cash prize and trophy.
The contest coverage is from Nov. 1, 2015 to Oct. 31, 2016, which means all entries should be published, uploaded or aired during the 12-month period.
Entries should be submitted on or before Dec. 16, 2016 to the 2016 PAJ-SMC Binhi Awards Committee, c/o Filipino Inventors Society Producer Cooperative, Ground floor, Delta Bldg., Quezon Ave. corner West Ave., Quezon City.