Movie Blue Deal Peru winner of the NWB Award 2023.
- mwierda6
- Nov 28, 2023
- 2 min read
“And the winner is… Blue Deal Peru with their video on research into water for rice cultivation!” With these words, Luzette Kroon, water board president of Wetterskip Fryslân, announced the winner of the NWB award 2023 during the network day of the Dutch Water Authorities on November 27. The NWB award is presented annually by the NWB Fonds for the most inspiring video about international water management work. The NWB Fonds was established by the Dutch Water Board Bank to invest in improving integrated water management worldwide. The winners were beaming on stage, and for good reason. The winning team received a cash prize of 5000 euros to invest in their project, as well as eternal glory: a spot on the wall of fame in the office of the Union of Water Boards in The Hague and a publication in the journal Het Waterschap. Milagros Sosa: “This is sooo beautiful! Our partners in Peru will be so happy with this.”
This year, 9 videos were submitted by project teams from Asia, Africa, and South America. A jury consisting of representatives from NWB Fonds, Blue Deal, and professional filmmakers selected a shortlist of 3 videos. The selection criteria were: Is it a compelling story that can be passed on? How is the technical quality of the video? And does it align with this year's theme, "smart collaboration with stakeholders"? The videos from Peru, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia were therefore in the running for the award. After that, a digital vote was held to choose the winner. Both water managers and foreign partners were invited to vote this time. And they did so in large numbers: nearly 1,000 votes were cast.
Bert van Boggelen, director of the NWB Fonds, asked partnership manager Kees de Jong if they had lobbied so hard. Kees answered calmly: “Just share the video.” Either way, the enthusiasm in South America was evidently high. The research into water supply for rice cultivation has meant a lot for farmers in the Piura region in the north of Peru. Rice cultivation is widespread there, and now water is being used more effectively and efficiently—very important, especially now that water is becoming scarcer due to climate change.
All participants will receive a jury report, with the offer of feedback from a professional filmmaker. In this way, the NWB Fonds aims to support the creation of better and better videos. This is an excellent medium for raising awareness of international water management work. Through these projects, contributions are made to climate adaptation. During the network day, climate general Tom Middelkoop was a guest. In his presentation, he emphasized the impact of climate change on geopolitical relations and the necessity of improving livability in regions hardest hit by climate change. This is exactly what is being done in the water management projects, as water is essential for livability.
All 9 submitted videos can be viewed on the following webpage:
