UN launches new SDGs Champion Award at CBU Media Awards

The United Nations in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean is placing a fresh spotlight on Caribbean storytelling with the launch of a new award dedicated to advancing sustainable development.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, August 20, at the 36th Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards, held at the Hilton Barbados Resort. United Nations Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mr. Simon Springett, revealed that the UN Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Champion Award will debut at next year’s ceremony.

“For more than three decades, the CBU Media Awards have been more than a platform to highlight excellence in journalism. They have served as a beacon for truth, creativity, and resilience,” Mr. Springett told the gathering of Caribbean media professionals.

The new award will recognize outstanding work across radio, print, television, and digital platforms produced and transmitted in 2025. Its focus will be on stories that raise awareness, deepen understanding, and inspire action on the Sustainable Development Goals, addressing priorities such as climate resilience, gender equality, youth empowerment, education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.

“Sustainable development is not a distant ideal, it is a shared commitment to uplift families, empower communities, and strengthen nations,” Mr. Springett said. “It is about telling the stories that matter: stories of hope, of challenge, of transformation.”

He emphasized the unique role of the media in shaping the region’s future, stressing that powerful storytelling can transform policy conversations into everyday realities.

“Your words, your images, your soundscapes have the power to inspire, to mobilize, and to transform,” he noted. “You have the power to connect communities, influence policy, and accelerate change.”

The announcement was warmly received at an event that brought together some of the region’s most creative and committed storytellers. Mr. Springett highlighted that the award reflects both the spirit of the CBU Media Awards and the urgent need to connect the global blueprint for progress, the Sustainable Development Goals, with the lived experiences of Caribbean people.

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This story was first published by UN Barbados and Eastern Caribbean.