In a landmark achievement for regional media in the Caribbean, Greater Belize Media (GBM), parent company of News 5 Live, has secured a leading position ahead of the 37th Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards, capturing an unprecedented 93 nominations across every major award category – more than any other participating media organization across the region this year.
GBM’s broad slate of nominations spans every core sector of modern media, starting with television, the awards program’s most hotly contested competitive track. The Belize-based media house earned nods across 15 television categories, including high-profile divisions such as Best News Story, Best Investigative Report, Best Documentary Programme, and Best Sports Story, alongside category recognition for Best Entertainment Programme, Best Magazine Programme, Best Comedy Item, Best Advertisement, and Best Public Service Announcement. GBM also picked up nominations for specialty journalistic awards, including Financial Literacy Journalism, Excellence in Media Coverage of Caribbean Arts and Culture, Excellence in Environmental Reporting on Mangrove/Seagrass, and Best Production on Land Degradation Neutrality.
Notably, GBM dominated the Child Rights Champion award track, securing nominations in all three subcategories: Investigative Reporting on Child Rights, Elimination of Violence Against Children, and Children Who Inspire Story. Beyond television, the organization earned three nominations in digital media for Best News Story, Best Sports Story, and Best Investigative Item, plus a single nomination for Best Sound Engineer in the radio division.
In the People’s Choice Awards, the only CBU category decided by direct public voting from Caribbean audiences, GBM picked up three additional nods for Best Music Reel, Best Educational Reel, and Best Comedy Reel. Rounding out its historic haul, the media house earned two more nominations in Special and Individual Awards: Best Social Media Content Creator and Best Videographer.
All award winners will be revealed at the 37th CBU Media Awards Gala, scheduled for August 19, 2026. The gala will take place during CBU’s 57th Annual General Assembly, branded #CBUAGA57, which will be hosted this year in Georgetown, Guyana by the Guyanese government.
This year’s general assembly has been organized around the timely central theme “Caribbean Media and AI”, a topic that carries growing urgency for newsrooms across the region as the industry navigates both the transformative opportunities and disruptive impacts of artificial intelligence on journalism, content creation, and audience engagement. CBU President Anthony Greene formally confirmed the theme and venue in a pre-recorded video message shared with CBU members and industry stakeholders earlier this year.
The three-day gathering is expected to bring together a diverse cross-section of global and regional media stakeholders, including media executives, working journalists, academic researchers, independent content creators, international development partners, and media equipment and service suppliers. The event’s programming will include professional development workshops, panel discussions on emerging industry trends, networking opportunities, and the formal celebration of regional media excellence through the awards gala. The CBU Annual General Assembly has long stood as one of the Caribbean’s premier forums for cross-sector dialogue and collaboration within the regional media industry.
As event preparations progress, CBU will release full registration details and complete programming information through its official website and social media channels in the coming weeks.