On December 12 in Yerevan the awarding ceremony of journalist competition “The
Environment and Industry” was held by OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Public
Environmental Information Center (Aarhus Center). The competition reviewed journalist
works on environmental issues: 13 TV pieces of different genres and 22 print,
including online, stories.
In the “TV journalism” nomination the first prize was awarded to Inga Zarafian
(“VEM” studio) for documentary “Desertifying City” – on illegal construction
in green zones in Yerevan. The second prize was awarded to Mary Chakryan (“Kentron”
TV company) for “Shikahogh or the Main Road” – about the attempt to construct
a highway through Shikahogh Reserve. The third prize was granted to the team
of “Artsite” for the public service announcement on the need to preserve forests.
In “Press” nomination the first prize was awarded to Artur Hovhannisian for
a series of articles, in particular for “This will be a huge disaster for Armenia:
Sevan is more precious than gold”, published in “Hayots Ashkhar” daily and devoted
to the environmental danger to the lake should the fold recovery factory be
relocated to its area. The second prize was awarded to Valeria Zakharian for
the article “The city between cement and zian” in “Novoye Vremya” newspaper,
about Ararat, one of the most ecologically dangerous cities of Armenia. The
third prize was awarded to Arpineh Harutyunyan for “Chernobyl cocktail in Kajaran”
article, published in “Hetq” online publication – on the environmental contamination
by the industries of Kajaran.
Encouraging prizes in both nominations were granted to Artur Grigorian and
Artak Alexanian (Public Television of Armenia), Yulia Kuleshova (“Delovoy Express”
newspaper), Anoush Martirosian (“Taregir” newspaper).
The Head of OSCE Office in Yerevan Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin awarded special
prizes to Hrach Kazarian for a film series “Heavenly Country” on the antropogenous
impact on Armenian fauna and Narineh Kirakosian (“Arminfo” news agency) – for
the series of articles on Shikahogh Reserve.
