Press centre

2003 UNICEF/OneWorld Radio Prize

Children’s Lives – Children’s Voices

• UNICEF and OneWorld are launching their second annual search for the best radio produced by, for and with children.

• We are looking for radio that gives children a central role – grants them an opportunity to express their view of the world – and grabs the attention of listeners.

• Last year we had a fabulous array of entries and we look forward to receiving many more this year.

• We know there is tremendous talent out there – and we love listening to your work – so show us what you can do.

• Winning entries will be rewarded with new radio equipment and a commemorative plaque.

Competition Rules

Categories:
UNICEF and OneWorld Radio will award prizes for the following two categories:

• 5 minute programme – eg. interview, magazine segment, feature, newscast
• PSA or Radio Spot - up to 60 seconds

We are looking for radio that broadly covers the following topics:

• Children’s rights
• HIV/AIDS awareness
• Girls’ education

We welcome – and positively delight in – entries in all languages – but please could you provide a transcript in English, French or Spanish, if your programme isn’t in one of those languages.

How to enter:

The entries will be collected by OneWorld Radio through uploads to their website and/or through postal deliveries.

E-mail radio@oneworld.net for instructions on how to do this.

Criteria

These are the elements we are looking for -

1) Participation

Are children genuinely involved in the content and production of a programme? Child presenters are one thing, but do children have a say in what goes into a programme or series? Does the programme allow them to express their views, set the agenda, tell their story? How inclusive is the participation? Is the programme only really accessible to a 'youth elite' or is there an effort made to involve children from all parts of society?

2) Content

Does the programme tackle serious issues in a child-friendly way?  Do programmes contain some kind of rights-based educational material that's relevant to children's everyday lives and concerns.

3) Cultural concerns

Does the programme reflect the culture and reality of children in the country where it is broadcast - wherever that may be? Does the programme reflect the cultural diversity of a potential audience and give a voice to children from minority communities?

4) Children as protagonists

Is the pro-active role children can play in society illustrated by the programme? Are they shown as agents of positive change?

Who can enter?

We encourage children and youth (up to 20 years old) to enter.  

Timeline

Please send your entries to us between 14th December, 2003 and February 28, 2004.

Winners will be announced in April 2004.  Finalists will be contacted directly and a press release will appear on the UNICEF and OneWorld websites.  Prizes will be awarded in the winner’s home country.

The prize:

Winners will be awarded radio equipment – for example a tape-recorder and tapes/headphones.  Finalists will be recognized with a commemorative plaque.

We will also explore the possibility of getting coverage of the winning production team by a major international radio broadcaster.

Judging panel:

A panel of judges nominated by UNICEF and OneWorld will judge the entries.

Multimedia CD:

The best 30 entries to the competition will be distributed on a multimedia CD-ROM.