Premier Paula Cox has been awarded the 2012 Woman of Great Esteem “Emerald Award of Excellence”.She received the award at a ceremony in Brooklyn Botanical Garden in New York on Saturday, according to a press release from Government.She joined Mr Lennox O’B Price, Consul General of Barbados in New York in receiving Special Congressional Recognition from Yvette Clarke of the 11th Congressional District of the United States House of Representatives and Citations from the New York State Assembly and the Public Advocate and the Council of the City of New York.The Premier is the third Bermudian recipient of the special WGE Award of Excellence distinction joining the late Dame Lois Browne Evans, former Attorney General and Leader of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party and former Premier, Dame Jennifer Smith.“The Woman of Great Esteem “Emerald Award of Excellence” is presented each year to an extraordinary woman whose exemplary life achievements have brought her prominence among her peers, honour from her community and positive notoriety in her country and the world,” the release states.“The awards recognises the recipients recognition in Politics, Religion, Education, Health, Economics, the Arts, Law and Leadership. To date, the WGE Emerald Awards of Excellence has been awarded to recipients from Bermuda, Jamaica, Barbados, the United States of America, the Bahamas and South Africa.”“It is humbling and an honour to be in the company of my sisters. The Award of Excellence was awesome. I reflect on the words of the French poet: ‘Come to the edge. We can’t We are afraid. Come to the edge. We can’t . We are afraid. And they came. And he pushed. And they flew. Come let us fly together.’” said the Premier in accepting the award.