14th Edition of the Journalism Poverty Prize in Kosovo

Deadline: 7 October 2019

The UN Kosovo Team (UNKT) and the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) are honored to present the 14th edition of the Journalism Poverty Prize in Kosovo.

The call for application for the Journalism Poverty Prize 2019 is open to all journalists who are legal residents in Kosovo and who covered with their work the issue of poverty eradication in Kosovo.

The awards ceremony will take place on 14 October 2019 in Pristina and will include representatives of the media, central and local institutions, civil society, the private sector, international organizations and other partners committed to eradicating poverty and promoting the Goals. Sustainable Development in Kosovo.

The purpose of the Poverty Journalism Award is to promote and raise debate on the issues and causes of poverty, and to indirectly influence poverty reduction by pressuring policy makers to change policy. At the same time, the initiative aims to encourage creative solutions to poverty reduction by setting constructive priorities and addressing the audience efficiently.

Award Information

The winners in the different categories will be awarded a prize of 1,000.00 € (one thousand euro). The categories are:

Best short video story
Best TV documentary
Best audio story
Best written story
Best photography

Eligibility Criteria

Journalists who are legal residents of Kosovo and over the age of 18 may apply at the time of the conclusion of the Call for Applications.
Journalist is considered any person who is a member of any association of Kosovo journalists and / or has been or is working with media registered in Kosovo.
Required Characteristics of Stories / Products Delivered:
- Each application can contain a story / product. For multimedia stories (e.g. written and photographic article), applicants must specify in which category they wish to participate.
- Only applicants in the Best Photography category can submit up to three photos for each application.
Works should be focused on the Kosovo context and should be:
- Written / produced by professional journalists.
- Published / broadcast in Kosovo media between September 7, 2018 and September 12, 2019.
- Written / produced in English, Albanian or Serbian.
- Stories written or produced in any other language can only be submitted if they are translated into English, Albanian or Serbian.

Evaluation Criteria

The delivered stories / products (written, audio, visual) will be assessed based on their relevance to the main topic of poverty eradication, including issues related to institutional efforts to reduce poverty through specific measures (such as social protection, access in employment, the provision of quality education), taking into account the human rights perspective.
For the selection of the winners, the evaluation panel will consider the following detailed criteria:
- The relevance of the topic on the Eradication of Poverty in Kosovo.
- Journalistic quality, including objectivity, critical analysis, understanding, ethical approach to treating interviewees with dignity and respect (with special attention to children’s rights).
- Including and respecting diversity: efforts to ensure that different ethnicities, voices and ideas are represented in Kosovo.
- The impact the story has had on society in Kosovo (and subsequent actions by decision makers, if any).
- Creativity and style.
Within the broader topic of poverty, covering the following topics will be given some additional points in the evaluation process:
- Gender equality and empowerment of women in decision making.
- Reproductive health, family planning and related issues.
- Environmental impact on health, especially with focus on air pollution.
- Impact of poverty on the lack of access to quality education, with a particular focus on Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian and children in general.
- Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.