Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
African Information Society Initiative (AISI)


Announcement

2006 AISI Media Awards
Deadline for Applications: 15 August 2006

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and its partners are pleased to announce the 2006 AISI Media Awards.

The AISI Media Awards were introduced in 2003 to encourage more informed coverage of the information society and ICT for development issues in Africa as part of ECA’s Information Society Outreach and Communication Programme. The Awards are aimed at individual journalists and media institutions based in Africa that are “promoting journalism which contributes to a better understanding of the information society in Africa. Although the media in Africa are beginning to report on ICT issues, there is still a wide gap in their knowledge and comprehension of the subject in relation to development trends within their national context. The aims are to:

• Create greater awareness on the role of ICTs in the development process within the framework of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI);
• Support African media to specialize and master ICTs and development issues thereby sharpening their skills and knowledge base;
• Enhance access to information on this subject area by various African stakeholders, thereby raising greater awareness; and
• Stimulate national debates on key issues and emerging trends.

The AISI Media Awards is intended to be an annual event to honour media institutions and professionals. The winners of the 2005 Awards were announced in September 2005 at the Highway Africa Conference held in Grahmstown, South Africa. Details of the 2003, 2004, and 2005 AISI Media Awards can be found at: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm


AISI Media Awards 2006

The deadline for the 2006 AISI Media Awards programme is 15th August 2006. Entries can be made in the following categories:


1. The AISI/GTZ Media Awards 2006

This Award has four sub-categories:

• Radio: Programmes from commercial and national public radio stations, including news, discussion, documentaries and features.

• Print: Articles from regional or national newspapers, including specialist magazines.

• Television/Video: Factual (documentary and features) and news.

• Community Media: This category will examine nominations from local community media (newspapers and community radio) that demonstrate innovative use and appropriation of ICT applications.

Prizes for the four categories will be as follows:

First Prize: US $3,000
Runner-up: US $1,500


2. AISI/IDRC Media Awards 2006

This Award has two sub-categories:

• IDRC/AISI Reporting ICT Research and Innovation. This award is geared towards encouraging Media practitioners’ focus on issues related to ICT research and innovations in Africa under the framework of the International Development Research Centre's (IDRC) Acacia Programme. Research into the impact of ICTs on African communities and information on ICT innovations, such as WAP applications, the Simputer, or open source applications are important areas that could have far reaching consequences for the development of marginalized people. This award will therefore seek to encourage the dissemination of this type of information through the media, by acknowledging the best media report on ICT Research and/or innovations and their relationship to the development of the African continent and its people.

• IDRC/AISI Reporting on ICT Policy. This award is to encourage increased reporting on ICT policies (process and implementation) in Africa under the frameworks of the International Development Research Centre’s Acacia Programme and ECA’s Africa Information Society Initiative (AISI). The objective is to stimulate interest in the formulation and implementation of national e-strategies in countries on the continent and to support informed reporting by the media.

Entries will be considered for print (articles), radio and television programmes

Prizes for the two sub-categories will be as follows:

First Prize: US $3,000
Runner-up: US $1,500


3. AISI/IICD Media Awards 2006

This Award has two sub-categories:

• IICD/AISI Award on Local Content Applications. This award aims to recognize users of innovative or pioneering applications of ICTs to local content defined as ''the expression of the locally owned and adapted knowledge of a community" in Africa. Applications can be from any sector and use of any medium with a demonstrated link with ICTs that provide opportunities for local people to interact and communicate with each other, expressing their own ideas, knowledge and culture in their own languages.

• IICD/AISI Media Award on Local Content. This second IICD award will recognize an outstanding story, campaign, or project in which the significance of local knowledge and content is raised in local, national, or regional fora.

Entries will be considered for magazines, websites, radio and television programmes

Prizes for the two sub-categories will be as follows:

First Prize: US $2,000
Runner-up: US $1,000


4. AISI/OSIWA Media Awards 2006

This Award has two sub-categories:

• OSIWA/AISI Best Female Reporter on ICT4D Issues. This category recognizes female journalists on the continent and their interest and reporting of ICT for development issues. The overall objective of this award is to encourage women journalists to enter into reporting on specialized fields such as information and communication technologies.

• OSIWA/AISI Reporting on ICTs and Rural Communities. This award is to support and stimulate interest in the media to report on how ICTs can be used in rural areas in Africa. OSIWA is assisting communities gain access to independent information and uncensored media, and promoting diversity in media ownership as a tool for increasing their participation in public life. Under the ECA AISI framework, this award is aimed at encouraging the media to report on strategies for democratizing access to the Information Society.

Entries will be considered for print (articles), radio and television programmes

Prizes for the two sub-categories will be as follows:

US $3,000 for First prize
US $1,500 for Runner-up



More on AISI Media Awards programme: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm



JUDGING

Judging will be based on the entries for the stated category, and winners will be those, who in the opinion of the Judges have made a significant contribution to promoting and raising awareness on the information society in Africa in all the areas mentioned.

CONDITIONS FOR ENTRY

1. Conditions governing the Awards:

ECA has the right to reproduce and transmit in any media, for non-commercial purposes, the work that has been selected.

ECA has the right to cancel the Awards at any time, when the selected entities and individuals are found ineligible or don’t fulfil the criteria laid down for the award.

The decision of the judges shall be final.

Members of the panel of judges for the Award and members of the sponsoring institutions shall not be eligible to submit an entry.

2. Criteria for entries:

All entries must have been published and broadcasted by an African Media institution during the year 2005/2006. Entries can be submitted in more than one category but THREE COPIES OF ALL MATERIAL ARE NEEDED FOR EACH CATEGORY ENTERED. Also, SUBMISSIONS IN AFRICAN LANGUAGES SHOULD BE TRANSLATED (in the case of print) and/or TRANSCRIBED INTO ENGLISH OR FRENCH for RADIO AND TV PROGRAMMES.

Entries that cover only international issues are ineligible unless, they relate to, and develop an understanding of, current information society issues in Africa.

3. Submission of Entries:

A FULLY COMPLETED FORM MUST ACCOMPANY EACH SUBMISSION; OTHERWISE THE ENTRY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

Entries must be cassettes/CDs for radio and VHS/CD for TV and video entries and original materials for print entries.

All material in a language other than French and English must have translation and/or transcription included in the submission.

Submissions can be in English, French, or Arabic.

Closing date for the 2006 AISI Media Awards: 15 August 2006

Submit to:

Mr. Afework Temtime (atemtime@uneca.org)
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA, AISI MEDIA AWARD
DISD, 5th Floor, ECA Building, ECA, PO Box 3001, Menelik II Avenue
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Website: http://www.uneca.org/aisi/mediaaward.htm

4. Winners:

The winners will be selected from entries, which in the opinion of the Judges, make a significant contribution to public awareness and understanding of the information society, and which provide analysis on issues concerning access, policy/regulatory environment, the social and economic impacts of ICT for development. A public announcement will be made shortly after the selection for all the categories.

The selection will be followed by an official notification from the ECA and the respective partners for each category.

The winning entries will be disseminated internationally and honoured at the 2006 Highway Africa Conference, which will take place in September 2006 in Grahamstown, South Africa.

For further information, please contact Aida Opoku-Mensah (aopoku-mensah@uneca.org)

[END]





Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)

African Information Society Initiative (AISI)

AISI Media Awards
On Promotion of the Information Society in Africa
ENTRY SUBMISSION FORM
Deadline: 15 August 2006

Please include ALL the following and tick below:

Complete entry form

3 copies of all material per category entered

(Broadcast entries only) 3 x 150 word resume/statement of intent/transcription of material if not in French or English

(Individual applicants) letter of support on company letterhead with logo.


Please indicate the category:

AISI/IDRC Reporting ICT Research and Innovation

Reporting on ICT Policy

AISI/OSIWA Best Female Reporter on ICT4D Issues

Reporting on ICTs and Rural Communities

AISI/IICD Local Content Applications

Local Content

AISI/GTZ Radio Print TV/Video Community Media


Name of individual entrant or organization:



Address:



Fax:


Email:



Nominated by (where applicable):

Title of Work:


Full name and title of person (s) or organization (s) whom the Award should be made to:



Where published or broadcast/website address:


Date of publication/broadcast (include time) / first online:

Running time (broadcast only):

Credits: (broadcast material only):

Producer:

Director:


Editor:


Reporter:


Entry submitted by:

Name: Position:


Organisation:


Contact address:

Tel: Fax: Email:


Signature: Date :