TV producers and broadcasters around the world have been invited to submit entries for a newly established World Television Award on science and environment.

The Award, on the theme ‘Cooling without Warming’, will go to the best TV programme that clearly communicates links between ozone layer protection and climate change. The winner will be assessed for both scientific accuracy and mass appeal of the production, intended for general viewers.

The Award is jointly administered by the Asia Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and the United Nations Environment Programme’s, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP-DTIE) OzonAction Programme.

The competition is open to all broadcasters and producers in the Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa, North America and South America. Entries are invited from public and private sector broadcasters, as well as freelance producers and production companies.

Any broadcast format is accepted, covering documentary, short documentary, docu-drama, edu-tainment or info-tainment, as long as the duration is between minimum 6 minutes and maximum 90 minutes.

Deadline for entries is 1 April 2011. The winner will be announced and the award presented at Asia Media Summit 2011 in Hanoi, Vietnam, in late May 2011.

Read the full award Criteria and regulations
Download the Entry Form

Experiences under the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer can be particularly useful to the current negotiations for a new multilateral environmental arrangement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In addition to protecting the ozone layer, global efforts to protect the ozone layer have also delivered substantial climate benefits as many of the chemicals that damage the ozone layer -- such as CFCs -- also cause global warming.

TVE Asia Pacific (TVEAP) has been working closely with UNEP in promoting media-based communication of both issues. For example, TVEAP convened the Ozone Media Roundtable in October 2009 in partnership with UNEP. It brought together 15 journalists, broadcasters and communications professionals from 11 countries in East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, all of who have been covering ozone and/or climate related issues in print, broadcast or online media. They were joined by 10 technical specialists and UN officials working on ozone/climate related issues.

Ozone Media Roundtable participants called upon bilateral development donors and multilateral agencies to invest more resources in capacity building of both media professionals and technical experts. They identified the need for short-term training as well as longer term media fellowships and networking opportunities.

One way to overcome resource constraints that affect many media organisations is to share stories, still images, moving images and other content across borders. As broadband Internet rolls out across Asia, it allows journalists and educators to use Web 2.0 technologies for low cost and faster sharing of material in digital formats.

Participants urged UNEP to continue its engagement with media and communications professionals working in the Asia Pacific region on ozone and climate issues. While UNEP's own IEC activities can benefit from informal consultations and partnerships, journalists and broadcasters can also be a key multiplier of information and analysis generated by UNEP and other specialized agencies.

The World TV Award was initially designed by the Asia-Pacific Europe Partnership Committee and established in 2004 with the recommendation of the AIBD on 2 main themes "Religious understanding" and "Conflict resolution". This year, the award scheme is expanded with the new science and environment award.

Photos: AIBD website & TVEAP Image Archive