Deadline: 14th February 2021 | Age 18-30 | Talented ASEAN youth are invited to share and promote fact-based and compelling messages showcasing the importance of ASEAN youth at the forefront of efforts to combat the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
The 2nd ASEAN Youth Social Journalism Contest 2021 is inviting youth “Social Journalists” to submit an essay and campaign ideas describing a theme of ASEAN Youth and COVID-19 ─ Response, Recovery, and Resilience.
ASEAN youth will have to look beyond themselves and work together across borders to build a stronger and more cohesive community of nations in response to the global pandemic.
Based on the essay submissions, up to 20 youth from 10 ASEAN Member States will participate in a virtual workshop to develop and implement a social awareness activity in their respective countries.
This contest is endorsed by the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Youth (SOMY) and supported by the ASEAN Foundation, ASEAN Secretariat, Ireland Embassy, and the ASEAN-USAID PROSPECT, a joint project of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. State Department.
Who can apply?
Any existing or aspiring social journalist that holds an ASEAN Member States passport (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam) and resides in the country of citizenship. Note: professional journalists who are full-time employees of established media outlets are not eligible to participate).
The interested ASEAN youths are required to form a team of two from the same nationalities. The applicants must be between 18 and 30 years of age on 26 April 2021.
Selected finalists must be able to communicate fluently in both spoken and written English.
Selected finalists must have active Facebook and Gmail accounts for ease of communication with the trainer and other participants.
Application process and evaluation criteria
A selected panel of judges will evaluate your essay submission. The selection criteria are outlined below:
Clarity of ideas: The essay clearly demonstrates an understanding of the theme and why it is important to youth in ASEAN Community.
Originality and creativity: The content is unique and written in a creative and compelling way with a thoughtful approach from the youth perspective.
Potential reader impact: The essay conveys personal or aspirational thoughts that are inspiring to viewers.
Following the evaluation process, ten teams consist of 20 finalists (two from each ASEAN Member State) will be selected to participate in a virtual social journalism workshop in April 2021.
What to expect in the workshop?
During the workshop, each country team will develop one agreed upon activity proposal to raise the awareness and address the above-mentioned theme related to ASEAN and in their home country and pitch this proposal to the trainer and judges.
The trainer and judges will evaluate the proposal pitches and provide feedback to the finalists.
What happens after the workshop?
Following the workshop, each team will receive a stipend and be required to implement their proposed activity to attract public engagement. Following the evaluation, the top three teams will be announced to receive cash prizes to support the sustainability of the activity.
Find full details and timeline at the official link below:
Apply before 14th February, 2021