20th November 2021
Online Event at Zoom
The regional edition of Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity 2021 recognized 98 stellar contributions in the media space across the four regions of the nation. A total of 71 winners and 27 Jury Appreciation Citations to promising journalists were awarded. Following the continued COVID-19 situation, this year too, the awards event was held as an online event on 19th November 2021. The noted journalist and media entrepreneur Faye D’Souza was the chief guest for the occasion while Sriram Haridass, Country Representative, UNFPA India, was the guest of honour.
“It has been a long and indeed very rewarding journey of over a decade. Congratulations to everyone who took that one important step – to think, examine and communicate differently' noted Bobby Sista, Founder and Executive trustee, Population First.
An enthusiastic response was received to the call for entries sent out on 26th March 2021. Despite a severe second wave of Covid 19, an encouraging number of over 900 applications were sifted through to select the winners. Entries were sought this year too from print, electronic and web media covering 23 categories. This year as in the previous years, the Jury comprised leading personalities from journalism, education, activism, films, television and advertising. A total of 71 winners and 27 Jury Appreciation Citations to promising journalists were awarded.
“Mainstreaming gender in the media is not just about devoting space for issues concerning women and girls but about making sure that all gender identities are equally represented. It is also about viewing every story from the standpoint of its impact on men, women and persons with alternate gender identities, whether these are routine stories around health, education, safety, the world of business, representation in politics or stories specific to issues like climate change, disasters and pandemics,” remarked Sriram Haridass, Country Representative, UNFPA, India, in his address.
“The range of subjects is expanding with each edition. From simple and inspiring human-interest stories to introspective blogs that force us to look at our own internalised biases, the award-winning articles touch upon a number of issues. Marital rape, child marriages, trafficking, gender-based violence, issues faced by working women during the pandemic, the impact of lockdowns on education of the girls and health of women. We hope more and more journalists come forward and write sensitive stories that reflect the ground realities and highlight the social biases,” said Dr.A.L.Sharada, Director, Population First.
The event had a tapestry of musical renditions by Vanshika Jaral, interwoven with the comments of jury members as well as winners. It was telecast on the YouTube channel of Population first. Over 2700 were garnered on the day of streaming. The event was publicised across national and regional media and garnered visibility in leading print and online publications.
Click here to see the list of winners.
Link to view: https://bit.ly/3tpP6J8