Journalists to Compete for Biotech Story Awards


The 2025 edition of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) Media Awards has officially been launched in Accra, with a call for entries from Ghanaian journalists who have reported on biotechnology and its impact on agriculture.

Speaking at the launch held at CSIR-STEPRI, Mr. Enoch Ilori, Project Officer of OFAB Ghana, emphasized the importance of accurate and impactful science communication. He said the awards aim to recognize journalists who have worked to educate the public on biotechnology and its benefits, particularly in improving crop resilience and enhancing agricultural productivity.

"We are officially opening the call for entries for the eighth OFAB Media Awards," Mr. Ilori announced. "Journalists are encouraged to submit stories published between June 2024 and August 15, 2025, that highlight the role of biotechnology in transforming agriculture."

Entries will be judged based on originality, accuracy, clarity, and the ability to foster public understanding of biotechnology. Journalists must also include a brief synopsis explaining the motivation behind their story, along with a valid media ID and accreditation.

Biotechnology, as explained by Mr. Ilori, involves the scientific enhancement of crops through gene modification to develop desired traits such as pest resistance, disease tolerance, and drought resilience. 

He cited the pod borer-resistant cowpea developed by the CSIR-Savannah Agricultural Research Institute in Tamale as Ghana’s first commercially released biotech crop—a significant step following Nigeria's lead.

Highlighting the opportunities for participating journalists, Mr. Ilori revealed that winners will receive attractive prizes including cash awards, gadgets like phones or tablets, and gift hampers. Most notably, Ghanaian winners will qualify to represent the country at the continental OFAB Media Awards, where they will compete with journalists from 10 other African countries for even bigger prizes, including dollar-denominated cash rewards.

OFAB Ghana is hosted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and works to promote awareness and public understanding of agricultural biotechnology in Ghana.


Below is the full detail:

THE 8th OFAB ANNUAL MEDIA AWARDS 2025: OPEN CALL FOR ENTRIES FROM JOURNALISTS REPORTING ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES.



About OFAB

 OFAB is a partnership platform that contributes to the creation of an enabling environment for biotechnology research, development, and deployment for the benefit of smallholder farmers in Africa. Driven by a vision of sustainable food security and agriculture-driven economic development in Africa, OFAB enhances knowledge and awareness of agricultural biotechnology to build an understanding of the technology and inform decision-making. Established by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) in 2006, OFAB operates in ten countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique, and Malawi.


About the OFAB Media Awards (OMAs)

The OFAB Media Awards was initiated to i) promote excellence in science journalism and appreciate the contribution of journalists in promoting sustainable agricultural technologies, particularly agricultural biotechnology, and ii) reward the critical roles played by journalists in promoting constructive dialogue on modern biotechnology through responsible, professional, ethical, and effective reporting. The culmination of the Award is the OFAB Africa Media Awards contest that brings together OFAB country-level finalists from which the overall winners are selected. The call will culminate in celebrating and awarding three winning journalists from three categories i.e. Television, Radio and Print & Online.


Eligibility

Ghanaian journalists who have been reporting on agricultural biotechnology in your country.

Articles submitted for consideration should have been published from June 2024 to 15 Aug 2025. 

Categories for the award will be:

Print and Online (Newspapers, Magazine and Online)

Radio 

Television


NB: Previous Award winners WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE to participate in this year’s competition. Runner-ups from previous years are ELIGIBLE to participate

 

Scoring 

An independent judging committee will select the winning entries based on: 

Scientific accuracy

Initiative

Originality

Clarity of interpretation

Value in fostering a better public understanding of agricultural biotechnology and its impact on society

Prizes

Each category will produce a category winner and runner-up.  The winners of each category will be eligible to participate in OFAB Africa Media Wards (OMAs) scheduled for the end of the year in the country to be announced. 

 

The application must include the following


A brief synopsis (about 150 words) of the stories submitted (Max 3 for each category)

About 150-word professional biography

A brief 200-word piece explaining the motivation for each story submitted

Digital passport-size photo and

A copy of national ID/Passport.

Evidence of Media Accreditation/Membership of a National Media Association.


Submission Modalities

Journalists are encouraged to submit entries by sharing:

Entries should be submitted to ofabghana@outlook.com

Links or URLs (active links) to published articles should be added to the documents submitted. 

Any online links (active links)  to TV and Radio stories should be added to the application

Entries should be submitted no later than 30th Aug 2025

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