Twenty young Jamaicans will be presented with the 2023 Prime Minister’s National Youth Award for Excellence (PMNYAE) for achievements in various fields at a ceremony scheduled for this weekend.

The event takes place on Saturday (April 20), on the lawns of Jamaica House, starting at 5:00 pm. The award recipients will be selected from a list of over 100 applicants, which was shortlisted to 40 persons.

Short-listed candidates went through a rigorous interview process and social interaction events before the final selections were made, explains PMNYAE Selection Committee chairman Fabian Brown.

Equating the PMNYAE to the National Honours and Awards, which is held annually in October, Brown told JIS News that the award, “is the highest honour that the country can bestow upon its young people for the great work and talent they display in the various categories.”

Recipients of this year’s awards will be recognised for their exceptional achievement in the categories of sports, agriculture, youth development practitioner, youth-serving organisation, arts and culture, academics, leadership, journalism/social media influencer, entrepreneurship, nation-building, international achievement, innovation in science and technology, and environmental protection.

There will also be the Prime Minister’s Special Award to be presented to an individual or organisation for exceptional achievement in their field of study or work.

The PMNYAE was introduced in 1998 to recognise young Jamaicans, aged 15 to 29, who have excelled and contributed to national development.

The award endorses each recipient as a positive role model for their peers and seeks to promote attitudinal change and social renewal by reinforcing the positive values of self-discipline, hard work, dedication, and humility.