Patron's Award 2010 nominations now open

Following the success of our inaugural Patron's Award for the media, nominations for the 2010 award are now open.

It's time to start looking for good news about over 65s – the fastest-growing part of the population. 

The second Age Concern New Zealand Patron's Award will be awarded to the individual or company that best communicates positive attitudes about older people. All New Zealand journalists, public relations companies and advertising agencies are invited to enter.

Our challenge to the media

Positive attitudes breed positive behaviour, and the media has the power to change attitudes about older people and ageing. We're looking for media work which fosters positive attitudes about older people. It could be a visual or audio, article or advertisement; the possibilities are endless. 

We're looking for items that –

• Challenge stereotypes about older people

• Aren't just about people because they're old. The focus should be on the person and their achievements or challenges, not their age

• Encourage new ways of looking at older people and ageing: many items celebrate the past with reports of wedding anniversaries, retirements or reminiscences.  Winning items are more likely to be forward-focused. 

• Respect people's dignity.

Conditions

Entries –

1. must communicate positive attitudes about older people 

2. must have appeared in New Zealand media (this includes point-of-sale pieces and billboards) between 1 November 2009  and 1 September 2010 

3. are eligible for judging in two classes: Advertisements and Editorial.

Nominations

Anyone can nominate a story or advertisement for the Patron's Award. Entries are welcome from Age Concern members, stakeholders, the general public or media people themselves. 

Send your entry or entries as close to the item's publication date as possible to Age Concern Info including a copy of the item, or the date, time and medium it appeared in, and we'll attempt to locate it. 

Entries close at 5pm on 1 September 2010 and no late entries will be accepted.  Finalists will be selected by a panel of judges which will include the Patron and Board members of Age Concern New Zealand, and specialist advisers.  

The winners will be announced as part of the International Day of Older Persons celebrations on 1 October 2010. 

Flashback: 2009 winners

The winners of the 2009 Patron's Award for the media were announced at a lunchtime function in Wellington on 1 October to mark the International Day of Older Persons.

Fairfax Community Newspapers writer Scott Morgan and photographer Jason Oxenham won the "Best Reporting" class for their entry "Daring trio head off to Mongolia".

The Best Advertising Patron's Award was won by Nintendo Australasia for their Nintendo DSi advertising campaign "More functions, more fun".

Dominion Post writer Tanya Katterns and photographer Andrew Gorrie took the Best Reporting Runner-up Patron's Award for their profile of school volunteer Bob Bargh.

Five finalists were chosen last month by Age Concern's Patron Judge Ken Mason and his panel of judges, and then narrowed down to three placegetters.

"Too often, the depictions of older people in the media aren't representative of today's older New Zealanders," Judge Mason told the award audience.

"Worse, there are great gaps where older people are not seen in the media at all, and if they're not invisible, too many older people are literally faceless – they're shown only from the back or in part.

"The media are both the mirror and shapers of society, so we decided to create an award to encourage and reward positive portrayals of older people"

The Patron's Award encourages and rewards media depictions of older people that challenge negative attitudes.

Media and government representatives were told,"Go out, start looking and start questioning.  If you're in the media please ask yourself 'am I really reflecting today's older people. Is this how they look; is this how they really are?'"

The winning entries were selected from five finalists.

• "Daring trio head off to Mongolia" profiles three North Shore men participating in a charity rally to Mongolia. North Shore Times; writer Scott Morgan, photo Jason Oxenham. > DOWNLOAD [Pdf file 190KB]
  Check their progress here [opens the Mongolian Charity website].
• "Hard work pays off for couple" profiles migrant gardeners Chengru Pang and Daxiong Lu. North Shore Times; writer Lucy Vickers, photo Ben Watson. > READ [Opens excerpts from North Shore Times story in a new window]
• "How will you spend your gas and electricity discount?" shows seniors enjoying their savings romantically. Dual Energy campaign, produced by Saatchi & Saatchi for Contact Energy; photo Mike Heydon, Jet Photography. > DOWNLOAD [Pdf file 300KB]
• "More functions, more fun" shows an older woman using a Nintendo DSi console in advertising produced for Nintendo Australasia. > DOWNLOAD [Pdf file 120KB]
• "Never too old to lend a hand" profiles school volunteer Bob Bargh. Dominion Post writer Tanya Katterns; photo Andrew Gorrie. > READ [Opens Dominion Post in a new window]

Each of the five finalists has the potential to change attitudes to older people for the better. They reflect older people's diversity: some are adventurers; many are in the workforce; they enjoy fun and romance; they use new technology, and their help as unpaid volunteers and role models is vital.