The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) honored outstanding local communicators promoting science and technology information during the 2024 Bantog Awards for Science Communication. 

 A total of 12 science content creators and producers from 10 categories were recognized during the awarding ceremony held Tuesday at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

 DAILY TRIBUNE was nominated in the Outstanding S&T Advocate category. 

 The winners in the categories of Best S&T News Story (text), Best S&T Editorial/Opinion (text), and Best S&T Feature Story (text) were awarded with P50,000.

Winners in the categories of Best S&T News Story (audio), Best S&T News Story (video), Best S&T Editorial/Opinion (audio-video), Best S&T Investigative Story (video), and Best S&T Short-form Series (video), on the other hand, received P100,000. For the Outstanding Information Officers, the cash prizes were P30,000, P20,000 and P10,000 for the first, second and third places, respectively. 

DoST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. highlighted the important role of media, especially during the pandemic in combating the spread of misinformation and disinformation on social media. 

“The valuable contributions of our media partners, as science communicators themselves, cannot be ignored as they help us bring science closer to the Filipino people by using their platforms to communicate the benefits of the studies, innovative products, and services developed by our Filipino scientists,” he said in a statement.

“During the occurrence of natural hazards, you, our media partners, have always been there to deliver accurate and timely news to provide sufficient information to our vulnerable communities, resulting in the saving of many lives and properties,” he added.

DoST said it received 110 entries across the 10 categories and was shortlisted to 66 final nominees.