Mauritius: The Nicolas Lambert Award 2023 was conferred to Le Défi Media Group’s journalists, Mr Christopher Sowamber, Ms Mélanie Valère-Cicéron and Mr Soobham Mungra, for the news item entitled ‘Smartphone ou la nouvelle smart drogue des enfants’ during the Media Trust Awards night held, yesterday evening, at the Caudan Arts Centre in Port-Louis.
Téléplus’ team, comprising Mr Nawaz Noorbux, Mr Jugdish Joypaul and Mr Al Khizr Ramdin, was the runner-up for the award. The new logo of the Media Trust, designed by Graphic Designer, Mr Yudhish Hazareesing, was also launched on occasion.
The President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, the Chairman of the Media Trust Board, Mr Chayman Surajbali, the Director of the Government Information Service, Mr Kavish Pultoo, representatives of Diplomatic Corps in Mauritius, as well as other personalities, were present for this 8th edition of the Nicolas Lambert Award.
In his address, President Roopun underlined that this year’s Nicolas Lambert Award marks an important milestone as the press is celebrating its 250th anniversary. He indicated that the Award is meant to reward journalists from the written press, broadcast, and online media who have stood out with their printed articles, photos, and multimedia productions or interviews.
He recalled that the “Nicolas Lambert Award” was established in memory of Nicholas Lambert, who launched Mauritius’ first newspaper “, Annonces, Affiches Et Avis Divers Pour Les Colonies Des Iles De France Et De Bourbon”, in 1773. The President seized the occasion to pay tribute to the pioneers and veterans of the press industry and to all those who have contributed to the media scene.
He further underlined that the Media Trust, set up in 1994, has the major responsibility to set high standards for journalism and ensure that those in the profession benefit from continuous training. Mauritian press has, over the years, played its rightful role in democracy, he affirmed.
For his part, Mr Soorajbali said that the press industry had witnessed huge changes and creativity over the last 250 years.
“Mauritius has a rich media history which has been the artwork of several generations of journalists, and we need to reckon their precious contribution to the media development as a cultural heritage,” he stated.
He indicated that the Media Trust, through the Nicolas Lambert Competition, aims to raise standards of journalism and reward those who have contributed significantly through their works while upholding journalistic ethics.
The media scene is changing, yet, newspapers, radio, and television remain essential tools to provide information in an era where the public has multiple sources of news, he pointed out.
The Media Trust’s Chairman further observed that Mauritius enjoys press freedom and plays a vital role in informing the population of public affairs as well as acts as a watchdog for Government actions.
He expressed his profound gratitude to the members of the press and all stakeholders of the industry for their invaluable contribution to the image and activities of the Media Trust.
Winners of the following awards are:
Category photo
Mr Waren Marie (Le Défi Media Group)
Ms Rajenee Panchoo (Le Défi Media Group) received a special mention from the jury.
Ms Jenna Ramoo (Le Dimanche/ L’Hebdo)
Radio
Mrs Priscilla Sadien (Radio Plus)
Investigation
Mr Nawaz Noorbux, Mr Jugdish Joypaul and
Mr Al Khizr Ramdin (Téléplus)
Multimedia more than 5 minutes
Mr Christopher Sowamber, Ms Mélanie
Valère-Cicéron and Mr Soobham Mungra (Le Défi Media Group)
Multimedia less than 5 minutes
Mr Rama Krishna Veeramundar (BIZweek)
Mr Al Khizr Ramdin (Le Défi Media Group) received a special mention from the jury.
Special award for long service in the media industry
Mr Jean Claude de l’Estrac; Mr Lindsay Rivière; Mr Eshan Khodarbux; Mrs Monique Dinan; Mr Kadrivel Pillay Vythilingum; Mrs Myette Ah-Choon; Mr Yvan Martial; Mr Jugdish Joypaul; Mr Madhukar Ramlallah; Mr Richard Nauvel; Mrs Michaella Seblin; Mr Reza Issak; Mr Brahms Mahadea; Mr Mael Bhugalloo; and Mr Finlay Salesse.
