Siemens looks for green writing

German-backed Siemens, the world’s leading green infrastructure company, has launched the second edition of its Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award 2013 to recognise and reward journalists for excellent reporting in green technology, sustainability and environmental issues.

The award is open to journalists in the ASEAN region and Australia and New Zealand. This year, Siemens will be awarding a Siemens Green Technology Journalist Vietnam Award 2013. The Vietnamese winner will compete with winners from Australia & New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam for the Siemens ASEAN-Pacific Green Technology Journalist Award 2013. All winners will receive cash prizes as well as a sustainability study trip to Europe.

“Demographic change, urbanisation, climate change and globalisation – these megatrends are creating unprecedented challenges for humankind. The transformations occurring now will have a lasting impact on our world,” said Siemens Vietnam’s chief executive officer Pham Thai Lai.

“That is why we established this award, through which we hope can encourage more reports on these topics, to help people in the rapidly growing regions of ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand to better understand the profound effects of the megatrends, and how innovation and technology can help to reduce these megatrends’ effects, to create a more sustainable world,” Lai said.

The award was first launched in 2010 in ASEAN, with three award categories. Over 190 entries were received, and the winners were Thean Lee Cheng of The Star in Malaysia for the Energy Efficiency category, Dewi Kurniawati of The Jakarta Globe in Indonesia for the Industrial Productivity category, and Jessica Cheam of The Straits Times in Singapore for the Sustainability category. Nguyen Thanh Tung, of Vietnam Investment Review, received Special Mentioned Award for his piece on “Building a low-carbon economy in face of rapid industrialisation”.  

All submissions for the Siemens Green Technology Journalism Award 2013 must be published from January 1, 2012, to June 15, 2013, in print and online media. Each submission must be accompanied by three published articles focused on how the application of green technology is providing answers to the challenges of megatrends like demographic change, urbanisation, climate change and globalisation.

Entries will be evaluated according to their news value, relevance to green technology, sustainable development and environmental issues, as well as the journalist’s writing and language technique.

The submission deadline is June 30, 2013, at 11.00pm (Vietnam time), and the winners will be announced in September 2013. Registration details and more information are available at www.siemens.com.vn/SGTJA2013.