Funded by MTV; Staying Alive; PEPFAR; HIV-Free Generation’s 'G’PANGE' campaign'; and UNICEF, Shuga was created as part of the MTV Staying Alive Ignite campaign, a multimedia campaign to empower and motivate sexually active youth and young adults to modify their sexual behaviour, and to embrace positive prevention strategies towards HIV infection.

Directed by Teboho Mahlatsi (The Bomb Shelter) and starring Lupita Nyong’o; David Omwange; Tumisho Masha; Sharon Olago; Pepe Haze; Nicholas Mutuma; Anthony Mwangi; Valerie Kimani; and Eva Kanyang’Onda, Shuga is a bitter-sweet tale of love; loss; sex; heartbreak; and relationships set in the clubs; bars; campuses; and hangouts of contemporary Nairobi. Shot on location in Kenya in August 2009, Shuga gives a raw and uncut view on the lives of sexually active young Kenyans, illuminating the risks of unprotected sex and the party-hard lifestyles of urban Kenyan youth, told through the interlinked tales of characters Ayira; Ty; Felix; Violet; Skola; Sindi; Leo; Kennedy; and Virginia.

MTV Networks Africa was presented with the award at a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany on 19 May.

Commented Alex Okosi, SVP and MD, MTV Networks Africa, “Shuga has resonated with young people around the globe and we are proud that its powerful messages about sexual health have provided a compelling new perspective that is helping to change young people’s attitudes and behaviours.”

Shuga premiered on MTV Base (DStv Channel 322) and other MTV networks around the world on World Aids Day 2009 and can currently be viewed online here.