About SIOP Europe Gold Ribbon Awards:
The first edition of the SIOP Europe Gold Ribbon Awards took place on Tuesday 25 September 2018 in Brussels, Belgium. The goal of the SIOP Europe Gold Ribbon Awards is to honour key personalities – scientists/academics, researchers, policy-makers, organisations and patient advocates – for their outstanding contribution to the paediatric cancer cause.
This event marked SIOP Europe’s 20th Anniversary thereby taking stock of the achievements and highlighting where the European paediatric haemato-oncology community should amplify efforts to meet current and future challenges across all the objectives defined in the SIOPE Strategic Plan.
Why is this event named ‘SIOP Europe Gold Ribbon Awards’? 
The gold ribbon is the universal symbol to create awareness about childhood cancer and mobilise increased attention for minimising deaths and disabilities due to childhood cancer. Gold is a precious metal and since children are our most precious treasures, it is indeed a perfect symbol for the childhood cancer journey. Despite improvements in the cure rates over the last decades, childhood cancer remains the leading cause of death in children above one year of age in Europe. Each year, more than 6 000 children and young people die of cancer and 35 000 new cases are diagnosed with cancer in Europe. Moreover, there are approximately 300 000 survivors of childhood cancer in Europe today and this figure is expected to reach 500 000 by the year 2020.
Why in September?
The Awards event and ceremony was held during the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month of September. The event aimed to raise awareness about childhood cancer as well as to encourage people and organisations especially during the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month of September to maximise their support in the fight against childhood cancer.
Awardees:
Despite significant advances, the paediatric cancer community continues to face huge challenges. The work and achievements of the awardees are of vital importance to improving lives and finding cures for children and young people with cancer. The SIOP Europe Gold Ribbon Awards were presented to individuals, organisations and companies who dedicate their efforts in making a difference for the paediatric cancer cause.
Support SIOP Europe to make a difference:
Healthcare workforce imbalances and shortages are a major concern in the European region (WHO Europe). The combination of an ageing population in high-income countries, ageing healthcare workforce, growing cancer occurrence outpacing oncology services means that investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals should become a priority. Ticket sales, corporate support and sponsorships will go towards:
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Education and training for the next generation of healthcare professionals by offering three Scholarships to Young Oncologists and Researchers. These scholarships will enable selected fellows to attend high-level medical scientific oncology conferences to further expand their education and in return alleviate the shortage that is currently straining the ability to provide quality cancer care. The following year, the three fellows will share their experiences at the next SIOP Europe Gold Ribbon Awards amongst the paediatric oncology community.
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Awareness raising campaign to make a difference… within the goal to achieve increased cure rates and quality of survivorship for children and young people with cancer. Diverse stakeholders coming together to speak in a unified voice will have more impact in placing childhood cancer firmly in the policy agenda.
We invite you to make a difference by supporting SIOP Europe to reach these concrete objectives and bring a brighter future for all children and adolescents with cancer in Europe.
Contact:
To support or become a corporate sponsor for the next edition of this event, please contact SIOP Europe: Email: awards@siope.eu │ Tel: +32 2 880 62 82
