Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2008

Xuemei Zhang from China and Jaume Vilalta i Casas from Spain won the Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2008 for the best article and the best TV feature about diabetes in the lay press, respectively. The winners competed along with journalists from 20 countries worldwide.

Prize for best article
The prize for the best article went to Xuemei Zhang’s ‘Should Colleges Open the Door to Teenagers with Diabetes?’, published in the Beijing Evening News, which is the capital’s largest-circulation newspaper. The article brings to light the issue of how college students tackle life with diabetes and explains how they are trying to achieve a better control of their disease while at the same time keeping it a secret. The article not only succeeded in raising awareness of the stigmas linked to diabetes, but also paved the way for concrete changes in the way colleges perceive students with diabetes.

Prize for best TV feature
The prize for the best TV feature went to Jaume Vilalta i Casas for his entry ‘Diabetes: Cuando el dulce amarga’ (Diabetes: When sweets are bitter).

The feature was originally broadcast on the TV programme Quéquicom, televised on Channel 33 for TVC in Catalonia, Spain. Jaume was inspired to create the feature after having a discussion with a doctor from a Barcelona hospital. This gave him the personal motivation to focus one of his programmes on diabetes and to inform and educate the public about the seriousness of the disease.


Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2007

Argentinian and Greek journalists won the Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2007 for best article and best TV feature about diabetes in the lay press, respectively. The winners competed along with writers and journalists from around the world. From 18 countries were submitted 16 articles and 8 TV features to Novo Nordisk.The Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2007 awards were presented by Lars Rebien Sørensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk, at a ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark on 28 August 2007.

See a short video from the award ceremony.

Prize for best article
The prize for the best article went to journalist Gabriela Navarra for her article ‘Living with Diabetes', which was published in La Nación Revista, a weekly Sunday magazine in Argentina.

Prize for best TV feature
The prize for the best TV feature was given to the diabetes feature on 'Health for All', a popular weekly show on the Greek national TV company NET, hosted by Michael Kefalogiannis.


Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2006

In 2006, 20 countries participated, more than 200 articles were received, and also TV feature was included in the contest as a new category. 15 countries submitted TV features.

South African and Portuguese journalists won the Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2006 for best article and best TV feature about diabetes in the lay press, respectively.

The Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2006 awards was presented by Lars Rebien Sørensen, CEO at Novo Nordisk, at a ceremony on 12 September in Copenhagen.

Prize for best TV feature
The prize for the best TV feature was given to the documentary 'Magic Mountain' (Kilimanjaro), co-produced by Portuguese TV reporters Carlos Filipe Espinho Rodriques and Vitor Jorge Ribeiro de Caldas, and broadcast on the main private Portuguese channel SIC-TV.

Prize for best article
The prize for the best article went to journalist Tom Nevin for his article ‘Type 2, Time Bomb’, which was published in the South African magazine Men’s Health.


Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2005

A 26 year old journalist from South Africa, Justine Joseph, won Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2005 for the best article in lay press about diabetes. The Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2005 award was presented by Lars Rebien Sørensen at a ceremony in Copenhagen on 30 August. Justine Joseph competed along with journalists from 14 countries around the world.

The winning article by Justine Joseph, 'What diabetes can do for you', is about her mother and stepfather. They both have diabetes and this has taught Justine health lessons for life: 'If my mother shouts or cleans the house manically, I know her blood glucose level is low', Justine explains . 'You become very in touch with someone else’s diabetes when you live with it'. It was this personal approach that impressed the international Media Prize jury, and led to Joseph’s story being chosen from among the 160 articles submitted from around the world.

In South Africa the article by Justine Victoria Joseph created big reactions. She explains: 'There has been a big reaction to the article, surprisingly, because it is so specific. I received a letter from a woman in Namibia who had just been diagnosed with diabetes, and found the information invaluable because there is no support group in her country. Also, a chain of pharmacies in South Africa has requested to use the article to train pharmacists about the positive side of living with diabetes.


Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2004

A young journalist from Jordan, Hala Khalaf, won the first international Media Prize for the best article in lay press about diabetes, competing along with writers and journalists from 17 countries.

The Novo Nordisk Media Prize 2004 award was presented by Lars Rebien Sørensen at a ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark in August 2004.

The winning article by Hala Khalaf describes the conditions for people with diabetes in Jordan through personal stories of people living with diabetes.