The CBU is pleased to invite Caribbean print, digital, television and radio content creators to submit entries for the 37^th edition of the CBU Media Awards.

Watch the announcement here by CBU President Anthony Greene and Secretary General Sonia Gill.

This year’s competition features brand new categories for photographers with the introduction of Best News Photograph and Best Sports Photograph. CBU is also pleased to welcome media professionals in training with the introduction of five (5) categories dedicated to media and communications students.

And as announced recently there will be new categories rewarding SDG Champions sponsored by the UN Country Team for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean as well as Best Items on Child Rights, supported by UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area Office.

The CBU is pleased to welcome back category sponsors, UNICEF Belize, The Nature Conservancy Caribbean Division, and the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management.

The closing date for entries is just weeks away, on February 28, 2026.    So potential entrants are invited to review the full list of categories as well as the eligibility rules and entry form  before submitting entries and forms online.

The winners will be announced and the prizes presented at the CBU Media Awards Gala in August 2026 during the 57^th Annual General Assembly.

For more information message cbumediaawards@caribroadcastunion.org.

Entry and Eligibility Rules Highlights

Below are the key guidelines for submitting entries to the CBU Caribbean Media Awards. For comprehensive information on all categories, definitions, submission procedures, judging criteria, and the full timetable, please download the full rules here (PDF).

Who Can Enter?

• CBU Members :Active CBU members in good financial standing may enter all applicable categories and are eligible for cash prizes where these are offered.
• Non-Member Caribbean Entities and Individuals :
  • Non-member organisations or individuals operating from and serving a Caribbean country or territory (or multiple Caribbean territories) may enter in the categories for which they are eligible.
  • Where registered, they must be in compliance with applicable regulations in their home jurisdiction(s).
  • Non-members may submit entries to the Advertising Awards, but only for material transmitted on / published in CBU member media services and publications during the eligible period.
• Advertising Agencies
  • Advertising agencies that are not CBU members may enter the Advertising Awards.
  • Entries must be advertisements or public service announcements (PSAs) carried on CBU member media during the eligible period.
• Student Entrants
  • Student categories are open to individuals or groups officially enrolled (full- or part-time) in a recognised post-secondary or tertiary media/communications programme in the Dutch, English, French, or Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Graduates may enter qualifying work produced while they were students.

Prize Eligibility

• Only entries submitted by CBU members in good financial standing at the time of entry are eligible for cash prizes in categories where cash awards are offered.
• No cash prizes are awarded in the People’s Choice, Student, or Advertising Winners in these categories receive plaques and/or certificates.
• Student winners in non-student categories may be eligible for cash prizes, bursaries, or other benefits where applicable.

Key Conditions for Submission

1. All entries must be original productions by the submitting entities or individuals. Co-productions are allowed, but contributors to the content must be Caribbean; material from non-Caribbean entities may not exceed 25% of the overall entry.
2. Entries must have been first produced and transmitted or published between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
3. Content submitted and assessed in previous rounds of the competition cannot be re-entered
4. Where archival footage is used, it must not exceed 50% of the total content of the entry.
5. Where content generated by large language models/artificial intelligence (AI) is used, this must be disclosed on the entry form and must not exceed>20% of the total content of the entry.
6. Entrants must be able to demonstrate that they retain the necessary authorial rights or have full authorisation from all contributors, and they agree to indemnify the CBU against any challenges to the use of submitted material.
7. Entries will be disqualified if the selection criteria in the Rules, entry forms, or official directives from the CBU are not met.

Theme-Specific Awards and Geographic Eligibility

Some theme awards are restricted to entrants from specific countries or territories, based on the sponsoring organisation:

• SDG Champion (UN Country Team for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean)
  Open only to eligible entities operating from: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; British Virgin Islands; Dominica; Grenada; Montserrat; St. Kitts & Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent & the Grenadines.
• UNICEF Belize Child Rights Champion Awards
  (including Investigative Reporting, Elimination of Violence Against Children, and Children Who Inspire) – open only to eligible entrants operating from Belize.
• UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area Office Child Rights Awards
  Open only to eligible entrants operating from: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; British Virgin Islands; Dominica; Grenada; Montserrat; St. Kitts & Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent & the Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks & Caicos Islands.
• Land Degradation Neutrality Awards (Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management)
  Open only to eligible entrants operating from CARICOM member countries and territories:

For full details of the theme awards and their specific focuses (including environmental reporting on coral reefs and mangrove/seagrass beds, children’s rights, and the SDGs), please consult the complete rules.

Additional Rules

• Entries will not be accepted from individuals who are immediate family members of judges, sponsors, or CBU Secretariat personnel.
• Non-members must pay a modest administrative fee when submitting entries, as outlined in the full rules.
• As a condition of entry, CBU members and the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) are permitted to use submitted content on their services, platforms, and channels free of cost, with due credit to the submitting entity, for any publication or reasonably foreseeable use arising from the competition.
• The CBU also has the right to use images and/or extracts from winning entries during live or delayed transmission of the Awards ceremony and for promotional/publicity purposes, including transmission/publication on CBU and CMC platforms and on CBU member media services (unless otherwise indicated by the submitting entity at the time of entry).