Established in 2020 to support the UN’s Decade of Action campaign, the prestigious MIP SDG Awards recognise organisations and initiatives within the media industry that are driving progress on the SDGs through editorial, campaigning and business practices.
The innovation category was introduced in 2023 to award originality in endeavour or action to support the SDGs. Open Planet has been honoured as this year’s winner for its visionary role in distributing credible, compelling resources to global audiences – unlocking barriers for content creators and storytellers to better explain and respond to our planet’s challenges.
“We are proud to receive this award as a new initiative supporting the SDGs. Only by harnessing the transformative powers of storytelling, technology, and creativity can we shift narratives and make meaningful strides towards addressing the most pressing challenges of our time."
— Emily Renshaw-Smith, Director of Operations for Open Planet
Emily Renshaw-Smith added: “We have already seen incredible impact from unlocking visual content for storytellers through Open Planet – whether on the world’s most influential stages or in classrooms and communities – and are grateful to MIPTV and the United Nations for recognising our contributions to the SDGs so far.”
This year’s awards attracted submissions from 24 countries, with the winners selected from over 70 entries by an international jury of social responsibility experts, producers and past winners, including: Mo Abudu (CEO, EbonyLife Media), Troy Armour (CEO, Junk Kouture), Márcia Balisciano (Chief Sustainability Officer, RELX Group), Amanda Hill (CEO, We Are On Purpose) and Hyeonza Hong (Founder and Director Green Goals Singapore).
Alongside Open Planet, Africa’s leading creator of children’s entertainment, Ubongo, will be awarded with this year’s MIP SDG Award in recognition of its progression of inclusive and equitable quality education.
“The number and diversity of entries for this year’s edition of the MIP SDG Awards demonstrate that the audiovisual industry can be an important ally in many areas of the UN’s work: from sustainable development to human rights. Broadcasters and producers have a role to play in creating and distributing factual, scientific content, and also in motivating and inspiring people to care, through stories.”
“Television’s power to accelerate progress has never been more needed. This year’s winners have both successfully harnessed resources to reach wider audiences with powerful storytelling from trusted sources and are just two examples entered from an incredibly encouraging range of inspiring, progressive initiatives from across the industry – work we will continue to provide a platform to highlight.”
The awards will be presented in a special keynote session on 9 April in the Palais des Festivals, with interviews to showcase the story, purpose and progress behind each initiative.
For further information, or any media enquiries or interview requests, please contact: Bethany.Hutchings@openplanet.org
The Climate Group
Created for the opening ceremony of New York Climate Week 2024, this film for the Climate Group uses footage from Open Planet to help showcase why urgent action is needed from world leaders to tackle the planetary crisis.
Wildlife Conservation Society India
This inspiring short film explores the elusive predator of Mumbai’s urban wilderness and showcases collaborative efforts to protect the city’s vulnerable wetlands and biodiversity, supported by striking visuals from Open Planet by Bullhorn Pictures, Nature Candid Productions and Silverback Films.
Blue Nature Alliance
Hear from the Blue Nature Alliance on their mission to drive large-scale ocean conservation through global collaboration in this new film, created by Open Planet production partners using our footage alongside new filming and interviews.