The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), and the Central European Initiative (CEI) have called for nominations for the CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism.

A full description of the award and the criteria involved appears below.

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CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2014

The Central European Initiative (CEI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), in special partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS), have opened the Call for Applications 2014 of the CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism.

The Call is divided into two sections:

SECTION 1 – PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS – AWARD 4.000 EUR

SECTION 2 – YOUNG PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS (up to 30 years) – AWARD 1.000 EUR

The Award aims to honour the work carried out by investigative journalists and their contribution to investigative reporting despite the difficult conditions under which they often have to operate.

Applications will be examined by an international jury made up of distinguished journalists and media experts from the region, also including some of the winners of previous editions of the award.

The awarding ceremony will take place during the South East Europe Media Forum (SEEMF), which will be held in Skopje, Macedonia, on 16-17 October 2014.

CRITERIA FOR ADMISSION

Eligibility

The Call is open to nationals of all 18 CEI Member States: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

Print, Radio, TV and Internet media are admitted.

As for Section 1, candidates should have been actively engaged in investigative reporting over the last two years and should still be active in journalism. Two pieces of journalistic work will be evaluated.

As for Section 2, candidates should have been involved in investigative reporting even in the context of training activities organised by schools/universities and, as a result, should have published at least one investigative story meeting all professional standards. One piece of journalistic work will be evaluated.

Modalities of submission

Self-nominations are not accepted. Candidates are to be nominated by deserved individuals, journalism and media organisations, media companies, civil society organisations, journalism schools or universities, trade unions or other social organisations from the target countries. The nominator should write a letter of recommendation and inform the nominee in order to make sure to provide all necessary documents for the application.

Documentation to be provided (all in digital form)

1. Filled-in Application Form (available at www.cei.int).

2. Curriculum Vitae in English, fulfilling topical standards, e.g. according to the Europass format (PDF file).

3. Summary in English of the candidate’s work and merits during the two years prior to the deadline of this Call, including details of the media that published / broadcasted the reports (1-2 pages, PDF file).

4. The complete piece(s) of journalistic work to be submitted for the application (two in Section 1, one in Section 2). In case of print media, a scan or PDF file of the original publication is required. In case of Radio and TV, both an audio/video file and a script or scenario should be sent (download links accepted). In case of Internet media, a PDF printout of the publication is required. Material prepared in local languages should be accompanied by a translation or significant synopsis in English.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

The jury will take into account the relevance of the matters covered by the reports, which should have a focus on the target countries, as well as the quality of reporting in terms of documentation, data, writing and production. The personal risks taken while performing the duties as well as the impact on society of the messages conveyed will also be evaluated.

CLOSING DATE

Applications must be submitted by e-mail by Friday, 30 May 2014 (23.59 CEST) to [email protected].

All supporting material has to be sent in digital form. The nominator and the nominee ensure the compatibility of the files with current IT systems. Therefore, universal file formats like PDF are preferred.

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PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS

-2008 Drago Hedl (Croatia)
-2009 Besar Likmeta (Albania) – Special mention to Esad Hecimovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Stefan Candea (Romania)
-2010 Adrian Mogoş (Romania) – Special mention to Iryna Khalip (Belarus) and Lydia Pavlova (Bulgaria)
-2011 Włodzmierz Kalicki (Poland) – Special investigative journalism diploma to Artan Hoxha (Albania), Dijana Subotički (Serbia) and to Matej Surcand / Blaz Zgaga (Slovenia)
-2012 Matej Surc and Blaz Zgaga (Slovenia) – Special investigative diploma to Telnis Skuqi (Albania) and special mention to CIN Sarajevo
-2013 Mahir Šahinović (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Rosen Tsvetkov (Bulgaria) – Special mention to Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI)