The Novo Nordisk Media Prize has made great inroads internationally increasing interest in changing diabetes through communication.

This year 26 countries participated in the prestigious award - an increase of 30% - with a total of 321 articles, TV-features and on-line highlighting the prevention and control of diabetes.

The 45 journalists present at the awards event in Vienna, Austria in September showered praise on Novo Nordisk for having created a non-commercial and highly ethical initiative that focuses on educating the public about this potentially life threatening chronic disease. Dr Thomas Stuttaford, winner of 2009's best online artilce about diabetes in the lay press, sums it up quite succinctly : "The lead Novo Nordisk has taken in encouraging communication between journalists and the general public and the patients and the press is unique. Novo Nordisk is now in our minds and many people's minds as being synonymous with diabetes".

For further information about the Novo Nordisk Media Prize - and this year's winning countries - Italy for Print, France for TV and the UK for Online features - visit the Novo Nordisk Media Prize website at http://mediaprize.novonordisk.com/

About the Novo Nordisk Media Prize

Founded in 2003, the Novo Nordisk Media Prize is an international award for the best Diabetes feature in both the print and electronic arena.

The Novo Nordisk Media Prize is based on two rounds:

• a series of national contests run by Novo Nordisk's affiliates in different countries
• an international contest for the winners of the various national contests

The winners are selected by independent panels of judges. The panels of judges consist of journalists and medical professionals totally independent of Novo Nordisk and vary from country to country.

The initiative is supported by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Entries for the 2010 Novo Nordisk Media Prize are open and Novo Nordisk invites all journalists to participate in this competition.

Judging Criteria for winning the Novo Nordisk Media Prize
The print or electronic feature mus:

• be about diabetes (health issues, prevention, treatment etc) without being related to Novo Nordisk products, research and views
• be published in lay media - specialised media or medical journals are excluded
• communicate about diabetes in an interesting, appealing and factually correct way

For more information, please contact Oz Healthcare Communications

Lynne Zurnamer                               Ilze van Heerden
 +27 82 448 3868                                +27 82 453 9737 
lynne@oz.co.za                                  pa@oz.co.za

Tel :  +27 11 465 5342           Fax : +27 11 465 2057