InterEnergy Group Presents the Eighth Edition of the Environmental Journalism Award

The award ceremony welcomed over a hundred communication professionals and granted monetary prizes valued at RD$975,000.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – InterEnergy Group, CEPM, Energas, and the National Business Network for Environmental Protection (ECORED) celebrated the eighth edition of the Environmental Journalism Award, a competition that has received more than 400 entries from communication professionals in the Dominican Republic throughout its history and has awarded monetary prizes worth over RD$5 million. The award, whose mission is to encourage specialized journalism in environmental and sustainability topics, has become a benchmark for journalistic investigation in the Dominican Republic.

At the award ceremony, which gathered more than a hundred communication professionals, it was announced that the top prize, «Grand Winner,» went to journalists Mariela Mejía, María del Carmen Guillén, Irmgard de la Cruz, and Joaquín Caraballo for their report «The real estate boom is devouring Dominican farmland,» published in Diario Libre.

In the ‘Print Media’ category, Alcides Antonio Nova Agramonte won with his investigation «Sustainable Mobility in the Dominican Republic: An effective tool to mitigate climate change and halt global warming that remains stuck in regulation,» for the specialized magazine EH Plus.

Joan Sebastián Vallejo was recognized in the ‘Digital Media’ category for his report «Humpback whales or cruises? Battle of sea giants in Samaná» from elDinero. Meanwhile, journalist Oscar Quezada Heredia won the ‘Local Media’ award for the report «Nest guardians: The titanic task of monitoring turtles on Miches beaches» published in El Tiempo, a regional weekly from the eastern region.

In ‘Audiovisual Media,’ the award went to Yanibel Asencio Mejía for her work «Composting: The magic of nature» for AN7, while in the Young Promise category, Halley Antigua was awarded for her investigation «Solid waste and animal overpopulation: a combination that challenges environmental management,» from elDinero.

Additionally, this year special mentions were given to Elena Crespo Fernández for her report «Dominican mining: A sustainable model for the energy transition?» for EH Plus; Nairobi Viloria, for her investigation «The reality and future of solar panel use in the DR» in ‘Te lo Explico’; and Mayerlin Martínez for her work «Higüey rivers languish between plastics and sewage» for MD Digital. A special recognition was also awarded to journalist Adalberto Grullón Morillo for his invaluable contribution to environmental journalism, and to Listín Diario for its «long-standing dedication to promoting environmental journalism.»

The total prize pool for this eighth edition amounted to RD$975,000, distributed among the winners of the various categories. The Grand Winner received RD$500,000, while the categories of Audiovisual Media, Print Media, Digital Media, and Local Media received RD$100,000 each. The Young Promise category was awarded RD$75,000.

The event included an exchange with previous winners such as journalists Carolina Pichardo, Addis Burgos, and Benjamín Morales, who shared their experiences and addressed the challenges of environmental journalism. The panelists emphasized the importance of journalistic ethics and the need to continue raising quality standards in covering environmental issues.

As part of the evolution of the Environmental Journalism Award, a specialized technical jury was established for the first time to ensure rigor and quality in evaluating the entries. It consisted of multidisciplinary professionals such as Patricia Reynoso, Communications Associate at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Yomayra Martinó, environmental consultant in energy, sustainability, and climate change; and journalists Carolina Pichardo and Massiel de Jesús Acosta.

Moreover, the selection jury included leaders from the environmental and journalistic sectors, such as Dr. Max Puig, Executive Vice President of the National Council for Climate Change and Clean Development Mechanism (CNCCMDL); Marvin Del Cid, journalist specialized in environmental issues; Francisco Núñez, National Coordinator for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); Dr. Ana Bélgica Güichardo, Director of the Communication School at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), and Víctor Bautista, CEO of Mediáticos Communication Consultants.