Local journalists and writers pick up Unicaja Communicator awards

The Costa Press Club, the association for foreign language media professionals resident or working in Malaga province, presented its Unicaja Communicator Awards 2018 this week.

Judges selected two winners in each of two categories: Peter Edgerton and Stefania van Lieshout in Current Affairs, Comment and Opinion; and Georgina Oliver and Mark Nayler in Leisure, Lifestyle and other genres.

The winners received their awards, a specially-designed sculpture and a cash prize of 300 euros, at a gala dinner on Thursday evening at the Tamisa Golf Hotel in Mijas.

Sponsored for the first time this year by Unicaja, the awards are for work published in 2017 in any of the languages used by members of the Costa Press Club, which in addition to English means German, Spanish, French, Danish, Dutch, Swedish and Finnish. These annual awards are open to members as well as non-members with a connection to Malaga province.

Peter Edgerton has won the award for his weekly humour column published in SUR in English. A singer -songwriter and former radio presenter turned pub owner, author and short film producer, he describes himself primarily as a music-maker.

Stefania van Lieshouts winning entry was her article about homeless people in Malaga, published in her blog and in Kosta Nieuws, a Dutch monthly magazine she wrote for from 2010 to 2017. She has previously won the Blogparel, a Dutch award honouring blogs that make people laugh and then think; the 2012 prize awarded by the Spanish Tourist Board in the Netherlands; and the Gouden Haring (Golden Herring) awarded by the Marbella Dutch Business Club.

Mark Naylers prize is for his Revisiting Laurie Lees Andalucía, a four-feature series written for SUR in English. A regular political columnist and feature writer, Mark also writes on Spanish politics for the UKs Spectator and is a southern Spain correspondent for the online culture and travel magazine, The Culture Trip.

Georgina Olivers award-winning entry was a review of Philippe Starcks exhibition Secret Drawings. 4,000 Sketches Unveiled at the Pompidou centre, entitled A Surefire Success. But do we buy into the iconic French designers sketchy symbolism? published by SUR in English. While living in Paris, Georgina was a freelance arts and style correspondent, and she now covers culture and lifestyle on the Costa del Sol and in the Campo de Gibraltar area.

Also this year, a special Young Communicator Award, consisting of 150 euros for the youngster showing the greatest promise, has been won by Danny Al-Khafaji, whose name was submitted by the English International College after he captained the EICs winning debate team at the World Cobis Championships. Throughout 2017 he appeared regularly on a chat show hosted by George Galloway on Press TV. The nomination mentioned Dannys proven commitment to democratic free speech and open debate: he is now Director of the Free to Speak Campaign, President of the Libertarian Society at Kings College London, and local coordinator for London at Students for Liberty.

President of the Costa Press Club, Jesper Sander Pedersen said, This years Unicaja Communicator Awards show the strength and talent of foreign journalists and media professionals working on the Costa del Sol and it has once again been the Costa Press Clubs privilege to organise them. Congratulations to the winners.

The trophies presented to the four winners have been designed and sponsored by Artenovum, and made on a 3D printer using PLA filament, which is an eco-friendly material made from renewable sources, and using 100 per cent certified Green Energy. They take the form of an artistic inkwell sculpture entitled Pen & Personality designed for the Unicaja Communicator Awards by Ose del Sol and Mogens Mugge Fischer.

The trophies were presented by Paco Reguera, Area Director in Fuengirola for Unicaja, Eva María Ramada, Manager of Unicaja branch 3066, Regina Gómez from the bank's Institutional Relations department and Jesper Sander Pedersen.