Contributions to a dynamic community website have brought it industry awards for the second year in a row.
The Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA) annually recognizes and celebrates excellence in ethnic media. This year marked the 33rd Annual Awards Gala, and the first time it was held at Harbourfront's Enwave Theatre.
CEMA Award Winners for 2011 are:
- Television - Ela Kinowska, independent producer, for her documentary And Who Are You?;
- Print - Thien Huynh, reporter, Thoi Bao Newspaper, for his series There's No Place Like Home;
- Internet - Sue Chun, producer, www.Jane-Finch.com for her overall body of work;
- CEMA Innovation Award - Mohsin Abbas, Editor, Diversity Reporter;
- Sierhey Khmara Ziniak Award - Roman Brytan, Program Director, World FM.
The http://www.jane-finch.com/ website was honoured for the second year in a row, with different online content producers being celebrated for their achievements. As CEMA honours individuals, the jury felt it was appropriate to do so.
As described by Minelle Mahtani, the Chairperson of theCEMA Awards Jury, producer Sue Chen's work "was singled out for the award in particular because of her strong interviewing skills and storytelling abilities.
"The jury was impressed by Sue's competence in challenging damaging stereotypes about spaces that are seen as dangerous; the visual pieces she produced were captivating, instructive and depicted with great accuracy the Jane-Finch community," Mahtani noted in an e-mail to Mediacaster Magazine.
The previous year's winner was webmaster of Jane-Finch.com, Paul Nguyen. The site, first launched in 2004, is operated as a non-profit group run by local students and volunteers. It combines user generated content with news, information and community updates, along with promotional and brand building tools for local artists and musicians.
"We were pleased to receive awards nominations from across the country," said Madeline Ziniak, Chair of CEMA and National Vice President of OMNI Television. "The calibre of this year's submissions tangibly demonstrates the growth of Canadian ethno cultural media and reaffirms its relevance in today's evolving social context; language media can access stories and reach audiences that mainstream can't."
The Sierhey Khmara Ziniak, named for CEMA's founder, is presented annually to one outstanding individual who, through journalism, has spoken for Canadian multiculturalism.
CEMA's new Innovation Award was created to honour one organization that stands out above the rest, because of the quality of their submission. The inaugural CEMA Innovation Award goes to Vancouver-based Diversity Reporter for a variety of pieces, all of which were compelling, effectively challenged stereotypes, and offered a glimpse into questions of belonging for immigrants and ethnic minorities in Canada.
Also making its debut at CEMA's 33rd Annual Awards Gala, the Rainbow Caterpillar Award for the best story written for children in a non-official language (other than or English or French). This award is co-presented by Rainbow Caterpillar founders Hanoosh Abassi and Happie Testa.
The Canadian Ethnic Media Association (formerly known as the Canadian Ethnic Journalists and Writers Club) was founded in 1978 as an inclusive organization for print, radio and television media; an internet category was added in 2004 to better meet the evolving needs and technology of ethnic journalism practitioners.
Sudha Krishnan and Vincenzo Somma of OMNI News co-hosted the evening, which also featured performances by Zero Gravity Circus; The Wonderful World of Circus and the Hips Don't Lie Dance Company.
The awards presentation - including the entertainment - was to be taped for broadcast at a later date on OMNI Television.