KINGSTON, Jamaica — Sixty fathers who the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport have dubbed as fathers of exemplary character, have been recognised through the annual ‘Outstanding Fathers Awards’.

The ceremony was held on Friday, June 17, at the Caymanas Golf Club, St Catherine ahead of this year’s Father’s Day, which will be celebrated on Sunday under the theme, ‘Jamaica’s 60 th : Fathering Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’.

According to a release, the award aims to acknowledge and celebrate the vital role of fathers and father-figures within families and in the wider society, and by extension their contributions to nation building.

Portfolio Minister, Olivia Grange, who brought greetings at the event, said Father’s Day is a day to honour fatherhood and paternal bonds as well as to celebrate the influence of fathers in the society.

“It is a day to commemorate fatherhood and male parenting while recognising the many generations and transformations of fathering in Jamaica since the achievement of Independence in 1962,” she said.

The ceremony featured a ‘Daddy and Me’ Father’s Day competition organised by the Bureau of Gender Affairs. Thirty outstanding fathers were awarded in this competition.

Through its social media platforms, the ministry invited members of the public to post a photo of their most memorable moment with their father.

The nominee with the most ‘likes’, Ryan Dixon, was named Father of the Year 2022, while Mikhail Hutchinson and Yannick Higgins copped second and third places, respectively.

The Bureau of Gender Affairs in the Ministry had also hosted a capacity building workshop as part of its Young Fathers of Jamaica initiative. The other 30 young fathers awarded were selected from among those who participated in the workshop.

All the fathers were presented with plaques and gift certificates as a token of appreciation for their demonstration of positive and responsible parenting.

The Outstanding Father Award was initiated by the Ministry and spearheaded by the Bureau of Gender Affairs through its Men and Masculinity programme. It is an annual award that amplifies the positive roles that men play in society as fathers and mentors to provide guidance to younger males and other fathers.

These initiatives form part of the ministry’s commemorative events to mark Father’s Day and Jamaica’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.