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Bright leaf awards name 2009 winners

09/16/2009

Ten outstanding journalists and works on the agriculture field got the nod as winners of this year’s Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards during ceremonies at the Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila.

Their winning pieces were selected from a field of more than 600 entries by a board of judges, composed of noted academics, scientists, journalists and government officials.

Selected as Agriculture Story of the Year were Manila Bulletin staff writer Melpha Abello’s "A housing material made from chicken feathers," while the Tobacco Story of the Year went to Manila Bulletin Agriculture editor Zac Sarian’s "Something new to Virginia tobacco."

"When we planted the seeds of Bright Leaf Awards three years ago, we had a sense of hope and urgency. We know that our commitment to honor the best agriculture journalists in the country finds its fulfillment in pushing agriculture at the forefront of our national consciousness," Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc. (PMPMI) managing director Chris Nelson said.

"Today we are very pleased with the life that sprouted from those seeds. We are proud at how our competition has grown over the years. This year’s competition has attracted a banner 648 entries compared, a more than 100 percent increase from last year’s 284 entries," he said.

"This is an indication that, indeed, the harvest is great. There is so much positive development in the field of agriculture today especially innovations toward sustainable practices," Nelson added.

Now regarded as a unique means of sparking discourse on important agricultural topics in the country, the Bright Leaf Awards seeks to give due recognition to those in the media working to bring these crucial issues to light. The Bright Leaf Awards are organized each year by PMPMI.

"Founded only three years ago the Bright Leaf Awards has grown into one of the most prestigious and widely participated agricultural journalism competitions in the country today," Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said in his speech.

During the competition, each entry was put through a tough judging process, and came under the review of some highly-esteemed figures in Philippine agricultural research and journalism.

The other winning entries included works on such diverse topics as new technologies derived from agricultural waste, innovations in agricultural production, best farmer practices, and prevailing economic issues in agriculture.