A $20,000 cash prize is back up for grabs as the Banff World Television Festival and Japan’s NHK renewed their partnership to offer the award as part of a tribute to programs about Asia.

The NHK Best Asian Program Prize marks the second time that the Japanese broadcaster has committed $20,000 for programs produced in Asia or throughout the world about Asian stories.

‘[Asia is] a very diverse region of countries each with their own distinct language, culture, and religion. These differences mean that program-making in and about Asia can be extremely challenging and, at the same time, extremely interesting,’ commented NHK’s head of international program development Fumio Narashima.

The HBO documentary White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the winner of the 2008 NHK prize.

Details and entry forms are available on the BWTVF site (www.banff2009.com). Deadline for submissions is Feb. 16 and the winner will be announced at the Banff television awards ceremony. The festival runs June 7-10.