By MONIKA SINGH
CURRENT and former students of the University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme have scooped all four awards in the prestigious 2024 Vision Pasifika Media Awards — Cleaner Pacific.
They are second-year student Niko Ratumaimuri, final-year student Riya Bhagwan and former students Joeli Tikomaimaleya and Moffat Mamu of the Solomon Islands.
Ms Bhagwan won the Online Category award for her Wansolwara feature story highlighting the harm plastic pollution poses to human health in Fiji — with risks expected to rise significantly if robust action is not taken soon. Her story was titled Behind the Stalled Progress in Fiji’s Plastic Pollution Battle.
The Student Journalism Award was won by second-year student Mr Ratumaimuri for his story in Wansolwara highlighting a call by young Fijians to keep the country plastic-free.
Fiji Television journalist and former journalism student Tikomaimaleya’s coverage of the Vatuwaqa Rugby Club’s efforts to keep their community clean picked up the Television Category.
Mamu who is an award-winning journalist with the Solomon Star, won the Print Category for his story titled Managing Solid Waste in Gizo a Tough Task.
The 2024 Vision Pasifika Media Awards is a partnership facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) with the Government of Australia, through support for Pacific engagement in the INC on plastic pollution and the Pacific Ocean Litter Project, the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, and the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA).
Dr. Shailendra Singh, Associate Professor of Pacific Journalism and Head of The University of the South Pacific Journalism Programme, said:
“We sincerely thank SPREP, OPOC and PINA for their foresight in organising the Vision Pasifika Media Awards and, in particular, for including journalism students who are at times left out of national media awards. USP Journalism is proud of our students’ achievements and happy to support initiatives that encourage environmental awareness and reporting excellence.”
Dr Singh said that while the journalism curriculum is crowded, environmental and climate change reporting has always been a priority area consistent with Sustainable Development Goal 13 – Climate Action.
“Our commitment to these themes is long-standing, as reflected in previous successes at the SPREP Vision Pasifika Climate Change Media Awards:
“Our collaboration with SPREP over the years has been productive and mutually enriching. We deeply appreciate SPREP’s commitment to building the capacity of Pacific journalists and being so considerate and inclusive of students, who are our future journalists. We look forward to continuing this partnership.
“As a programme with limited resources, USP Journalism relies on such valued friendships with like-minded organisations to enhance and broaden our students’ learning experiences and outcomes,” he said.
Ms Bhagwan said she was honoured that her story won the Online Category of the awards.
“This is an important initiative that provided local voices with a platform to raise awareness on a critical issue facing our region. What I really appreciate is that students like us were given the opportunity to participate and showcase our work. This is visionary and forward-looking,” she said.
She also thanked Dr Singh and the Supervising Editor-in-Chief of Wansolwara, Monika Singh, for constantly encouraging and inspiring students to reach greater heights and for providing incredible opportunities for growth.
Mr Ratumaimuri expressed similar sentiments and said he was also honoured to be recognised.
“It’s a proud moment that reflects the dedication, hard work, and passion of everyone involved. This award reinforces the importance of Pacific voices in telling our own stories — especially on critical issues like climate change and environmental sustainability. It’s an inspiration for us at USP Journalism to continue striving for impactful storytelling that serves our region and its people.”
For Mr Tikomaimaleya, the win came as an unexpected yet truly humbling moment.
He thanked his Fiji One News team for their continuous support and for allowing him the opportunity to take part in the Vision Pasifika Media Awards.
“I dedicate this award to my colleagues, my family in Natabua, and everyone who has been part of my journalism journey — especially the USP School of Journalism and Fiji Television,” he said.
Launched during the 7th Pacific Media Summit by Niue’s Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi, the awards celebrate excellence in environmental news content reporting across the Pacific Island region.
A statement from SPREP stated that the theme “Cleaner Pacific” highlighted the urgent need to tackle plastic pollution — one of the triple planetary crises threatening the planet, alongside climate change and biodiversity loss.
SPREP Director General Sefanaia Nawadra congratulated everyone who submitted entries, as well as the winners.
“We are drowning under a sea of waste! The Pacific media is critical in ensuring we in the Pacific understand the challenges of waste and pollution and share ways we can work towards its effective management. Many of our waste issues originate from outside our region, and our Pacific media must help our countries advocate for global action on waste, especially plastic,” he said.
“The media not only informs and educates communities, but it is also a bridge that connects the work of government officials at the national, regional, and international levels to the communities. This bridge in communicating vital information and sharing our stories is important because we are all impacted by the plastic pollution crisis and we all have a role to play in addressing it.
“These awards recognise your critical role and efforts. While we celebrate and congratulate our winners, let us also celebrate our collective efforts and commit to working together into the future.”
PINA’s Manager and Editor, Makereta Komai, commended all the journalists who submitted entries and encouraged the media fraternity to take up similar opportunities in the future.
“The power of storytelling can turn the tide on plastic pollution. As journalists, your words and images can shine a light on the crisis facing our Pacific, inspiring action to protect our oceans, communities, and future generations. Your story could be the spark that drives change,” she said.
The winners were officially announced last Friday by SPREP.
