The Global Souths Hub are delighted to announce our first winner of the Best Contribution Prize – a newly launched annual award that will recognise outstanding contributions. This new initiative celebrates thought-provoking work that challenges dominant narratives.
This year’s winner is… Ginbert Permejo Cuaton
A huge congratualtions to Ginbert for being the first ever winner of the Global Souths Hub Best Contributor Prize!
Ginbert is currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Lingnan University in Hong Kong and his work explores social policy issues on disasters, displacements, and climate action in Southeast Asia. Ginbert’s blog was published in May 2024 and is titled, Exploring Resettlement in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation.
Read the winning piece: Exploring Resettlement in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Adaptation by Ginbert Permejo Cuaton
As climate impacts intensify, governments in the Global South are turning to disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation to tackle poverty, development challenges, and environmental threats. Among the most contentious strategies is planned relocation. Ginbert’s winning blog explores how local authorities in the Philippines, Tacloban, justified resettlement following Super Typhoon Haiyan—and how their approach holds lessons for other urban coastal cities.
We asked Ginbert what the prize means to him:
“I’m so excited and grateful to receive this award! A big thanks to the Global Souths Hub and the judges for appreciating the value of my work and for highlighting the need to explore the challenges of resettlement and planned relocation as strategies for disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, particularly in Global South countries. I’m looking forward to sharing more insights through academic blogs, focusing on the real-life experiences and governance issues faced by communities in Southeast Asia dealing with extreme weather and climate change impacts!”
Ginbert is currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Lingnan University in Hong Kong
Here’s what the judges had to say about the winning piece:
“This blog piece covers a timely topic as we prepare for the next (un)natural disaster to hit communities in the Global South. It speaks to the lives turned upside down by climate adaptation schemes that do not thoroughly consult the communities involved and fail to incorporate care into policies. I found this an important research essay to think about what other island states, like in the Caribbean, may glean from the context of Tacloban City.”
Carmen Andall Woodroofe, Royal Holloway, University of London
“Gilbert’s use of the Super Typhoon Haiyan as a case study also highlights how rehabilitation and resettlement are contentious issues politically in the Philippines, with the post typhoon recovery being used for sympathy votes during an election campaign. Overall, Gilbert’s work explores the broader implication of resettlement and how decision around resettlement are justified, as well as lessons that must learnt to improve resettlement and disaster recovery post major natural disasters”
Jasmin Cooper, Research Associate, Imperial College London
Special mentions
Our judging panel also selected two runner’s up from the long-list contributing articles. Congratulations to Kividi Koralage and Nancy Owusuaa for your insightful articles!
Kividi Koralage
Kividi Koralage, is an independent researcher in international development and geopolitics. She examines how colonial legacies, economic models, and global health governance shape healthcare disparities.This blog post stems from Kividi’s research on global health inequalities as part of the global health politics session presented at the British International Studies Association’s (BISA) virtual conference in January 2025. She reflects on historical injustices and the need for equitable healthcare systems. Kividi addresses how these challenges require reform in global health governance to promote equitable access to medical resources, and prioritise healthcare as a universal right.
Read now: From Colonialism to COVID-19: Why Global Health Remains Unequal by Kivdi Koralage.
Nancy Owusuaa
Nancy Owusuaa is a final-year PhD candidate at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon. Through interviews, surveys, and observations, Nancy is investigating the evolving meanings and cultural impact of Adinkra symbols in contemporary Ghana. Her study explores how these traditional Ghanaian symbols are being reimagined and repurposed for modern media. In her blog she tells us how she gained a fresh perspective presenting her work to an international audience at the African Studies Association UK Conference last year.
Read now: Navigating Adinkra’s Evolution in the Digital Age: A PhD’s Perspective by Nancy Owusuaa
Submissions are now open!
We’re excited to announce that submissions are now open for next year’s prize! If your work challenges dominant narratives and provides a Global South perspective, we’d love to hear from you.
Join the conversation
The Best Contribution Prize reflects the Hub’s commitment to decentralising knowledge production and supporting voices that are often sidelined in mainstream discourse. To learn more about contributing to the Global Souths Hub visit our guidance for contributors page.
