FIFTY-SEVEN individuals, along with three youth groups, have been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s National Youth Awards for Excellence 2022.

The presentation of awards to the winners will be held on Saturday, February 4 under the theme ‘Reignited’, on the lawns of Jamaica House, starting at 6:00 pm.

According to acting senior director in the Youth and Adolescent Policy Division of the Ministry of Education and Youth Yanique Williams, the awards will be conferred on young Jamaicans who have achieved exceptional national and international distinction in various categories.

These include academics, youth development, sports, journalism/e-journalism, nation-building, music, national leadership, innovation science/technology, arts and culture, agriculture and agro-processing, entrepreneurship/social entrepreneurship, and environmental protection.

The Prime Minister’s Special Award for Excellence, which was introduced in 2021, will also be presented. The recipient of this award may be an individual or an organisation that excelled exceptionally in their field of work or study which the prime minister deems worthy of national recognition, as they embody the true meaning of resilience, innovation and excellence.

Williams said the Prime Minister’s National Youth Awards for Excellence endorses each recipient as a positive role model for their peers and seeks to promote attitudinal change and social renewal through reinforcing the positive values of self-discipline, hard work, dedication, and humility.

She pointed out that the awards were introduced in 1998 to recognise young Jamaicans (aged 15 to 29) who have excelled and contributed to national development, because Jamaica’s youth population constitutes an important and productive role in the development of the nation.

“The aim is to recognise and encourage the hard-working young Jamaicans to continue to make outstanding contributions to national development,” added Williams.