Deadline: 30-Jul-21
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi is pleased to announce an open competition to produce animated series on the theme of media literacy.
PAS encourages Georgian non-profit/non-governmental and/or educational organizations with a media literacy focus to partner with production teams to submit an application for an up-to-18 months project to produce animated series designed to build the youth’s media literacy and critical thinking skills.
This is vital to help the youth analyze news and identify reliable sources in the environment of prevalent fake news stories and propaganda. The produced animated series will be distributed via multiple digital/social platforms and traditional media channels, regional broadcasters included.
The program envisages to target young Georgians i.e. high-school and university students, hopefully, with their parents.
Objectives
- Harness the power of animation to fight fake news and propaganda, promote media literacy to encompass primarily the youth, plus different age audiences and societal groups thanks to its entertaining and engaging style, making it appealing and easy for consumption.
- Produce animated series on the theme of media literacy. The series should consist of at least two seasons with 24 standalone episodes dedicated to the prevalent fake news stories (spread by media, social media, or/and by hearsay) spanning diverse topics, e.g., vaccination, Georgia’s vulnerability to the unknown as well as tackling false narratives including Western malign influence on national customs and traditions, the West taking advantage of Georgia’s dire economic situation and building strategic facilities such as the Lugar Center, it is attacking the Orthodox Church, Russia being a potential market for Georgia’s goods and hospitality services, etc.
- The episodes will run once or twice a week to build up the audiences’ attachment to the series on the following platforms: Facebook, YouTube, regional broadcasters, plus one of the national broadcasters, the latter contingent on funds to cover the primetime placement fee.
- Reach people where they are; on new media platforms, as well as on traditional media channels through animated series to diversify and multiply target audiences i.e. reach age groups of high school and university students, and their parents, thus keep people open to new information without resorting to myths and speculations.
- Promote media literacy to enable wide audiences to identify and counter Russian disinformation and propaganda and more actively challenge the proliferation of fake news.
- Suggest the animated series as supplementary teaching material to educational institutions.
- Increase critical thinking towards the media among young Georgians and to test the feasibility and usefulness of such actions. Critical thinking includes, among other skills, the ability to distinguish information from propaganda, to deconstruct media communication and to interact with social media in a mindful way.
Funding Information
- Award Ceiling: $200,000
- Award Floor: $200,000
Eligibility Criteria
- Georgian non-profit/non-governmental, educational organizations and film production studios are invited to submit a proposal for the creation of an animated cartoon series on the topic of media literacy.
- The U.S. Embassy invites the organizations with a demonstrated professional expertise and achievements in media literacy programming and production of animated series to apply. Prior experience, and successful implementation of similar products will be considered favorably. The Recip+nt is expected to coordinate the creative process of the program with the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=334225