Why SHE & Rights Media Awards?
There cannot be a socially just future for our human race if we leave women and gender diverse peoples behind. Gender equality is a fundamental human right which cannot be dislocated from right to health and other SDGs. We must challenge and dismantle existing patriarchal power structures of inequality and discrimination and replace them with a just social order where there are equal rights and equitable opportunities for everyone.
With rising anti-rights pushbacks against gender equality and human rights, it is becoming critically important to increase gender sensitive and rights-based media coverage. Media has the power to shift narratives towards SDG3 and SDG5, raise peoples’ conscientiousness, shape public opinions, and mobilise policy makers to effectively respond towards accelerating progress on SDG3, SDG5 and other goals and targets, and commitments such as those enshrined in CEDAW, ICPD and Beijing Declaration.
Building further upon this effort, the Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP 2025), Family Planning News Network (FPNN), and CNS are proud to announce 2nd Edition of SHE & Rights Media Awards (July 2025 to November 2025).
More about SHE & Rights Media Awards 2025:
2nd Edition of SHE & Rights Media Awards 2025 seeks to acknowledge and honour journalists and other media actors from African and Asia Pacific regions who have reported and helped put the spotlight on issues raised by SHE & Rights sessions held every month during 1st July 2025 to 15th September 2025.
Those who have reported on issues raised by SHE & Rights sessions during the above-mentioned period and promoted and walked-the-talk on responsible journalism through their evidence-based, gender sensitive, people-centred and rights-based news reports, feature stories, opinion pieces, blog posts, photo stories, or other forms of impactful media communications, are most welcome to apply.
Eligibility Criteria: Who can participate?
- The awards are open to all journalists and other media actors (print, online, radio, television, podcast, blog, social media influencer, among others) from any country in African and Asia Pacific regions.
- Every eligible entry must be based on the issues raised by one of the SHE & Rights sessions hosted between 1st July 2025 to 15th September 2025. For SHE & Rights session recordings, email us at editor@citizen-news.org
- Submissions published or broadcasted during 1st July 2025 to 15th September 2025 are eligible. These can include articles, news reports, features, blog posts, photo stories, TV or radio broadcasts, documentaries, podcasts, or online social media content.
- If the content is in a language other than English, it should be accompanied by an English translation along with the original article/ broadcast.
- More than one entry can be submitted by an applicant. Each entry will be judged separately.
- Entrants should show proof of publication of their submissions by including press cuttings, recorded radio or video programme, or links to official websites (or confirmation from their editors). Please add all links or URLs or news clippings (or editor’s letter confirming the publication or broadcast) in a Word or PDF file and upload.
- Audio and video submissions should be in a format widely and readily accessible format such as .mp3, .mp4 and .mov, among others.
- Gender insensitive reporting, or other media reporting, which promote anti-rights push or harmful narratives against gender equality and human rights, will not be eligible for these awards.
- Those who are associated with award management (such as CNS) are not eligible to apply.
Important dates
- Award application process opens: 1st July 2025
- Award application process closes: 15th September 2025 (5pm Geneva time)
- Awardees will be informed by last week of September 2025
- Award ceremony will be held at ICFP 2025 in Colombia (November 2025)
SHE & Rights Media Awards 2025 categories
- African regional category: 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes, and 2 special mention prizes
- Asia Pacific regional category: 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes and 2 special mention prizes
What does SHE & Rights Media Awards 2025 contain?
- 1st prize winner in each of the two regional categories (African and Asia-Pacific regional categories) will be awarded a media fellowship to travel to ICFP 2025 in Bogota, Colombia. This fellowship will give them a chance to attend and report from ICFP 2025 and be felicitated in a special SHE & Rights Media Awards Ceremony organised onsite at ICFP 2025.
- 2nd and 3rd prize winners in each of the two regional categories (African and Asia-Pacific regional categories) will be offered a media registration at ICFP 2025 in Bogota, Colombia. They will be felicitated in a special hybrid SHE & Rights Media Awards Ceremony organised onsite at ICFP 2025.
- Special mention prize winners in each of the two regional categories (African and Asia-Pacific regional categories) will be felicitated in a special hybrid SHE & Rights Media Awards Ceremony organised onsite at ICFP 2025.
- All winners will be sent an Award Certificate via email after ICFP 2025.
- Winning entries will also be featured on the website and social media platforms of CeHDI, ICFP 2025, CNS, and partners.
- CeHDI and CNS will encourage all organisational partners of SHE & Rights initiative and other organisations and individuals committed to gender equality and human rights, to feature the winners on their website and social media platforms.
- Every eligible media participant/ contestant will be acknowledged with a Certificate of Participation which will be sent via email after ICFP 2025.
SHE & Rights Media Awards 2025 ceremony
International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP 2025) will host SHE & Rights Media Awards Ceremony 2025 in Bogota, Colombia.
This Award ceremony will be hybrid.
Selection process
Entries will be judged by an independent panel of judges with demonstrated leadership in the field of gender equality and human rights, and/or gender-sensitive journalism. The decision of the panel of judges will be final.
What will the Judges be looking for?
The judging panel will finalise the evaluation criteria; however, the following points will be included.
- Is the media reporting based on the issues raised by one of the SHE & Rights sessions held during July 2025 to September 2025 and meets all eligibility criteria as listed above?
- Balanced reporting
- Is the reporting grounded in feminism, gender equality and human rights?
- Is the reporting not patronising patriarchy directly or indirectly?
- Has the journalist spoken to different sources (or right experts, or survivors where needed)
- Accuracy of information
- If statements attributed to experts in the reporting are accurate (SHE & Rights session recordings and transcripts are online to verify)
- Are data or references used effectively to make a case for gender equality and human rights?
- Impact and value
- Is the article providing important/ relevant/ contextual information for the reader?
- Is it timely? (such as Safe Abortion Day, FfD4, HLPF 2025, Beijing+30 review, UNGA 2025, etc)
- Language
- Does the writing exhibit independence, impartiality, coherence, simplicity, clarity?
- Does the language enhance the key points in the story?
- Is the language ethical, rights-based, people-centred and gender-sensitive?
Be welcome to apply!
Should you have any queries or require further assistance, please contact Shobha Shukla, Coordinator, SHE & Rights Media Awards Committee (email: editor@citizen-news.org or WhatsApp +91-9415785055)
