Premier Paula Cox was yesterday honoured for her “exemplary life achievements”.Ms Cox was presented with an Emerald Award of Excellence by Yvette Clarke of the 11th Congressional District of New York at the 16th annual Women of Great Esteem Emerald Awards Ceremony in Brooklyn, New York.The award is presented each year to a woman recognised for her prominence in politics, religion, education, health, economics, the arts, law or leadership.Awards of Excellence have been previously been presented to women in Bermuda, Jamaica, Barbados, the United States, the Bahamas and South Africa.About a dozen women in Bermuda have been presented with a WGE Emerald award however only two apart from Ms Cox have received the highest honour - the late Dame Lois Brown Evans and Education Minister and former Premier Dame Jennifer Smith.Said Ms Cox: "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.'”The Woman of Great Esteem Award was founded by Rt Reverend Sylveta A Hamilton-Gonzales.The vision of the WGE is to “recognise the outstanding contributions of women and provide a vehicle that respects, inspires, embraces, supports, empowers and propels women in their communities, nations and the world”.