Greater Belize Media Wins Big at Caribbean Media Awards 

Greater Belize Media (GBM) had a strong showing at the 37th Caribbean Broadcasting Union Media Awards, taking home five awards and four special mentions across news, digital, production, advertising and children’s rights reporting. 

The awards were announced on Wednesday during a live ceremony in Georgetown, Guyana. Media professionals from 13 Caribbean countries and territories were recognised across 56 categories. 

GBM accounted for eight of Belize’s nine recognitions, while The National Channel received a special mention.

Among the highlights was recognition for reporting that focused on issues affecting Belizean children. Britney Gordon and videographer George Tillett won the Child Rights Champion: Investigative Reporting Story award for Special Ed Students Locked Out of School Two Days Straight, while Gordon and Tillett also won in the Children Who Inspire Story category for Belize’s Children’s Parliament Debates Adolescent Health Access.“I feel very proud and very honoured,” she said. “It’s a very big accomplishment, not just to me, but to the entire team, that we were able to be recognised for our reporting on that.” Gordon said. “It’s certainly validating to the hard work, late nights sometimes, taking work home, early mornings. So just to see that that is recognised regionally is very rewarding.” 

Paul Lopez also received regional recognition with Special Ed Students Locked Out of School Two Days Straight among the winning entries. He said the greatest reward remains the impact stories have on Belizeans. “At the end of the day, we are telling Belizean stories, and we are Belizeans telling those stories or telling our own stories,” Lopez said. “It takes teamwork, and it’s a collaborative effort. So while we may be recognised individually on the awards, there are other handful of names of people that really make the dream work at GBM.”

Then there’s a win that says something about where newsrooms are heading. GBM’s Benita Keme-Palacio was named Best Social Media Content Creator. “Being a content creator in a newsroom isn’t exactly the traditional role that we think about when we hear ‘journalist’ or ‘reporter’,” she said. “It is a role that works hand in hand with our reporters. It’s this whole other side of a newsroom that asks: How do we get this information into people’s hands? How do we make it understandable, engaging and accessible through the platforms they’re actually using?” 

She said the Content Creator category recognises a role the industry is still learning how to define. “So, this award is not just a personal achievement for me, but also an acknowledgement of the digital team and the work we’re doing to make sure News 5 continues to meet people where they are. And I’m incredibly proud to be part of that.” 

Meanwhile, Rick Romero took home Best Videographer, which added to a night that also saw his creative work recognised regionally for the comedy piece “Grinch Steals Christmas at GBM”, alongside Sheena Smith and Nisa Sanchez. 

At the same time, Smith walked away with three honours of her own, an award for the Grinch sketch and two special mentions, in her first year ever being nominated. “It’s truly humbling receiving a recognition like this that is Caribbean, a regional recognition,” she said. 

She added, “I think it speaks to the work that we do here at GBM. I think we all have a passion for what we do at some level, and I think that just having some type of recognition, even if it’s not an award, but it’s still a special mention.”