German and British reporters named winners of annual Luminous Award
INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 31 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- One woman's courageous battle to find the best treatment to fight her ovarian cancer is the subject of the winning entry in the 2007 Luminous Award. Launched by Eli Lilly and Company in 2006, the annual award was created to recognise journalists who bring to light progress in cancer prevention and treatment and enlighten their audiences through clear and inspiring reporting. Winners are selected by an independent panel of judges from around the world.
Eli Lilly and Company is proud to present the 2007 Luminous Award to German journalist Sabine Thor-Wiedemann from the publication Brigitte -- Germany's leading women's magazine. The award is for her feature entitled "Survival of the Luckiest," which details a woman's determination to beat the disease against all odds. The article also highlights the need for patients to have access to treatments that meet an international standard.
Second place in the competition also went to an article focusing on ovarian cancer. The award was presented to Simon Crompton of the U.K. from The Times' health supplement Body & Soul. His article, "The Silent Killer," examined the benefit of a simple screening tool and ongoing research that could lead to early detection, better treatment and improved survival for thousands of women with ovarian cancer.
Overall, the winning articles seek to enlighten the public about ovarian cancer with the hope that increased awareness and screening options will empower women to take action against this deadly disease. Even though survival rates have improved over recent years, less than 40 percent of women with ovarian cancer survive the first five years after diagnosis, compared with nearly 80 percent of breast cancer patients.(1) Although survival depends on early diagnosis and treatment, ovarian cancer is usually difficult to detect and as such often arrives unnoticed.
John Stubbs, chairman of Cancer Voices Australia and spokesperson for the international Luminous Award judging panel, commented that the standard of the entries for this year's competition was particularly high. "Ten finalists from eight countries highlighted the impact that cancer has on people and their desire to bring important and significant elements to the public domain," Stubbs said. "We congratulate all finalists on their articles and their dedication to responsible cancer reporting."
In addition to the global winners, Lilly also presented two Highly Commended certificates to journalists from Spain and Japan. Spanish journalist Mayka Sanchez from El Pais, one of Spain's major national newspapers, was recognized for her article titled "A Very Personal Therapy" outlining the great importance of molecular diagnosis in cancer and personalized cancer treatment. The second Highly Commended certificate went to Japanese journalist Hidetoshi Oshima from the publication Mainichi Shimbun, for his article "Drilling Down on Asbestos Issues," which included personal accounts from people who had lost family members to mesothelioma after working in a factory, and highlighted the seriousness of asbestos exposure.
"The Luminous Award has grown into a truly global event, with more than 70 entries received this year from journalists working in 11 countries," said Garry Nicholson, leader of the Lilly Oncology global brand development team. "This competition is part of Lilly Oncology's commitment to go beyond medicine and to provide support in its broadest sense to people with cancer and their families. The Luminous Award recognizes journalists who really make a difference by providing people with quality information and stories of hope that can inspire and give people with cancer the strength to continue fighting."
The independent judging panel for the Luminous Award was comprised of judges from all over the world and, in addition to Stubbs, chairman of Cancer Voices Australia, the panel included Jaime G. de la Garza, M.D., research physician, National Institute of Cancerology, Mexico; Dolores Isla, M.D., Lozano Blesa Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain; Viktoria Kun J, award-winning healthcare journalist with the leading Hungarian national daily newspaper, Nepszabadsag, Hungary; Takeo Sekihara, board member of the Japanese Cancer Society, Japan; Nicole Zernik, president of the French Forum of Europa Donna, the European Breast Cancer Coalition and vice president of the European Organization, France; and Maggie Hampshire, managing editor, OncoLink, United States.
The winner and runner-up of the Luminous Award is given the choice of one of two prizes; either the opportunity to be enlightened by the work of a leading oncologist or cancer researcher or a cash donation to be made in the form of a scholarship in the winner's name, to help a student continue his/her studies to become a journalist and enlighten others through his/her work. By being given the opportunity to either meet a leading oncologist or cancer researcher, or provide a scholarship, the enlightenment will continue for the winner and runner-up either personally or through the future work of a student journalist.
The international 2007 Luminous Award competition was open to business reporters or general/consumer journalists reporting for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, websites and broadcast outlets as well as medical journalists writing for health, pharmaceutical and medical trade publications. Entries are judged on a series of criteria including news value, the ability to stimulate awareness about advances in oncology prevention and treatment, effective communication for the intended audience and creativity.
About Lilly Oncology, a Division of Eli Lilly and Company
For more than four decades, Lilly Oncology has been collaborating with cancer researchers to deliver innovative treatment choices and valuable programs to patients and physicians worldwide. Inspired by the courageous patients living with cancer, Lilly Oncology is providing treatments that are considered global standards of care and developing a broad portfolio of novel targeted therapies to accelerate the pace and progress of cancer care.
About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs.
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(1) The Office for National Statistics. One- and five-year survival
of patients diagnosed between 1996-1999: Major cancers, sex and
age, England and Wales. Available at http://www.statistics.gov.uk
(accessed on 3 October 2007).
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