1. Background/Rationale

   Republic Act 9418, or the Volunteer Act of 2007 mandates the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency (PNVSCA) to promote volunteer programs and services in the country to maximize the benefits that may be derived from volunteer assistance and adequately gauge the contributions of volunteers to national development and international cooperation. As such, PNVSCA has been working and initiating several activities to inspire and encourage individuals and all sectors of society to make “volunteerism a way of life of every Filipino”.

   Understanding that the media remains essential in promoting good governance and ensuring sustainable development and nation-building, PNVSCA believes that the media can be a strong ally in promoting volunteerism further. With the media’s primary role to inform, educate and entertain, it can influence individual beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, thus contributing significantly to values formation.

   The Awards Program will recognize media practitioners and organizations who have significantly contributed to promoting and popularizing volunteerism through their work. The Awards Program was conceptualized during the press briefing on “Volunteerism as a Development Strategy” held in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, on 07 October 2022 where the efforts and initiatives of the media in supporting activities that promote volunteerism were highlighted.

2. Objective of the Award

   The award seeks to identify and recognize media practitioners and organizations for their significant role and contribution in promoting volunteerism and its importance to national development through their work, thus encouraging the public to make volunteerism a way of life.

3. Key Actors

   The Awards Program is a partnership initiative of the PNVSCA, Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), and Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU).

4. Frequency and Implementation Period

   The award will be given annually starting in 2023, covering media works published/released from August 2022 to July 2023.

5. Mechanics and Criteria

   1. Type and Categories of the Award

      Type of Award	Category	Coverage
      Best Volunteerism Reporting in Print Media	Individual	A media practitioner with news, feature, or editorial type of articles highlighting volunteerism and its contribution to national development published in print media
      	Print Organization	An organization that releases/publishes quality articles on volunteerism and its contribution to national development in print media
      Best Volunteerism Reporting in Television	Individual	A media practitioner which features a segment/report on volunteerism and its contribution to national development in its TV program
      	TV Program	A segment or documentary program broadcast in TV that discusses volunteerism and its contribution to national development
      Best Volunteerism Reporting in Radio*	Individual	Radio Program
      	Radio Program	A segment or documentary program broadcast in radio that discusses volunteerism and its contribution to national development
      Best Volunteerism Reporting in Online Media**	Individual	A media practitioner with news, feature, or editorial type of articles, or a segment/report on volunteerism and its contribution to national development published in online media
      	Online Media Organization/ Agency	An organization which releases/publishes quality articles and/or programs on volunteerism (highlighting its contribution to national development) published in online media

      *Traditional radio programs that are simultaneously aired in social media, e.g. Facebook, YouTube, and in Television (TeleRadyo) shall qualify in the Best Volunteerism Reporting in Radio.
      **Reporting in online media refers to a modern approach where institutions or organizations deliver, share, or distribute their newsworthy items via the internet. Print, radio, TV programs whose same content/materials are also featured in online platforms shall only qualify in their respective traditional categories; e.g. a print agency which releases the same content through online media will only qualify for the Print category.

   2. Eligibility Requirements

      • The individual award categories are open to all national and local media practitioners affiliated with any registered Philippine private news/media/digital media organization.
      • The print organization award category is open to any registered Philippine newspaper or magazine with local or national circulation.
      • The TV/Radio Program award categories are open to any TV/radio program aired in the country, locally or nationally, by a registered TV/radio media organization.
      • The online media organization award category is open to any registered digital media organization which publishes content in the Philippines/for the Filipino people.
      • A nominee may qualify in different categories, e.g. an individual or media organization can be nominated in both print and online media categories as long as they feature different set of content/materials in both channels.
      • The Award promotes inclusivity and equality and welcomes nominations of/from individuals regardless of sex, age, religion, race, class, ability, sexual orientation or gender identity.
      • The award does not cover media practitioners and organizations doing charity and volunteering work as this is part of the Search for Outstanding Volunteers (SOV).

   3. Criteria

      The winners of the Bayanihan Media Awards will be chosen by the Board of Judges, composed of experts from the government, academe, and the private sector who are media-oriented and actively promote volunteerism themselves. The Board of Judges will use the following criteria as the basis:

      Criteria	Definition	Percentage
      		Individuals	Program/ Media Org
      Quality	How the content highlights the importance of volunteerism to national development and its impact on the beneficiaries, communities, and the volunteers themselves; Data and information presented should be based on reliable sources; Clarity, brevity, and professionalism are exemplified in presenting data and information	40%	40%
      Effectiveness and Impact	Content must be user-friendly, easily understood by the public, and encourages/motivates the public to engage in volunteer work	30%	30%
      Innovation	Uniqueness and originality in terms of presenting/discussing volunteerism/volunteering	15%	10%
      Sustainability	Mechanisms are in place to ensure the continuity of the program/organization	—	10%
      Frequency	Number of articles/reports/programs released/published through a verifiable medium	15%	10%
      Reach	Number of shares/views of the articles/reports/programs released/published
      TOTAL		100%	100%

      Entries should get an average of 70% to be shortlisted for the Award. Entries with incomplete requirements will not be considered.

   4. Submission of Entries

      To ensure a deep search/grass root participation, the following process shall be observed in the submission of entries:

      1. The State University or College (SUC) in each Province, through its College/Department of Communication/Language, shall nominate a media practitioner, radio/TV program, print/online media organization along the four (4) categories of the Awards Program. In the event that there are two (2) or more SUCs in the province, the one with an established Communication Department shall make the nominations. The SUC may draw up its own implementing mechanism and eligibility criteria in identifying a nominee or adopt the criteria for selecting the national winner. (Note: The activity may be included as one of the activities of the NSTP of the Language Department or College of Communication.) All entries must be properly labeled with the title of the article/feature/segment/program, the writer/reporter’s name, the media organization’s name, and the date of publication/release. The SUC shall submit its nominees to the PIA Provincial Office together with the following documents:
         • Accomplished nomination form (downloadable from the PNVSCA website);
         • Copies of the published articles, radio/TV programs, online content (the published work/s may be in the local language/dialect, but English translation must be furnished as well);
         • Evidence/s illustrating their reach, such as but not limited to the number of online shares/views, and/or Google/Facebook analytics.
      2. The PIA Provincial Office will review and validate the nominations received and endorse shortlisted entries to the RSC through the PIA Regional Office.
      3. The PIA Regional Office, through the RDC-DevCom (or the designated committee), will facilitate the selection of the Regional Winner/s who will be chosen using the criteria for selecting the national winner/s. The Regional winner/s will automatically qualify as nominee/s for the National Search.
      4. The RSC, through the RDC Secretariat (NEDA Regional Office), shall submit their regional winners to PNVSCA as the NSC Secretariat.
      5. PNVSCA, as the NSC Secretariat, shall review the entries received (regional winners), particularly on the completeness of information and documentary requirements, and endorse them for deliberation by the Board of Judges. Any false information submitted by the nominee will immediately lead to permanent disqualification.

      Decisions of the Board of Judges are final. Comments, suggestions, and/or recommendations will be accepted to improve the Media Awards further. Candidates or representatives, by the act of submitting and nominating, confirm that the author/writer/producer agrees to the immunity of the members of the Board of Judges/NSC/RSC, and their respective employees, from any legal suit that may arise from or relative to the conduct of the contest.

      By submitting entries for the Awards Program, the author/writer/producer/host further agrees and gives PNVSCA and the NSC, RSC and PSC members the right to use the said entries as materials for information dissemination and promotion related to the conduct of this Awards Program without undue disadvantage to the writer/author/producer/host.

      The Award will not be given automatically to a sole entry in a particular category. The Board of Judges will still evaluate the entry. The Board of Judges has the right not to declare any winner and/or may opt to recognize deserving media practitioners and/or media organizations/agencies for special awards if deemed necessary.

   5. Awards/Incentives

      National winners will each receive a trophy/plaque and a simple token, while regional awardees/national nominees/finalists will be given a certificate of recognition. The RSC may opt to provide a simple token to the regional awardees depending on their availability of funds.

6. Important Dates

   Activity	Target Date
   Launch of the Awards Program	Aug 4
   Deadline for Submission of Nominations to PIA Provincial Office	30 September
   Validation and Deliberation (provincial entries)	October 2-13
   Deadline for Submission of Nominations to the RSC	20 October
   Deadline for Submission of Regional Awardees to the NSC	03 November
   Deliberation for the National Awardees (finalists may be invited to an online interview)	November 20-24
   Announcement of Awardees	28 November
   Awarding Ceremony (will be done together with the SOV Awarding Ceremony)	12 December

Nomination Forms:

• Print Media – Individual
• Radio – Individual
• TV – Individual
• Online Media – Individual
• Print Media Organization
• Radio Program
• TV Program
• Online Media Organization
• Mechanics and Criteria