Call for Entries: Eurasia Media Innovation Challenge

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Deadline: 15 March 2017

Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan

photo_call_for_entries_MDI_websiteWith countries in the region neighboring Russia facing the growing trends of state- and oligarch-controlled media, fake news, and propaganda, Eurasian audiences are being increasingly exposed to biased information. At the same time, they also face many common challenges, from financial woes to global health issues and the threat of radicalized groups, which require quality objective coverage.

The millions of people affected by these challenges need to understand them in order to make better decisions, strive for better lives, and call for change. New and more creative ways of informing people and broadening the audience for entertaining but informative, high-quality content must be found.

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the Media Diversity Institute (MDI) with selected partners and experts from the region will help talented local individuals, media, civil society representatives and others, to develop new ways to inform and engage audiences with entertaining, locally-relevant, high-quality content.

This program will offer grants between $5,000 and $100,000 to successful applicants who propose innovative and entertaining projects to provide quality news and information to Russian-speaking populations in Eurasia. Genres could include factual entertainment series, youth-focused content that utilizes new technologies, humor/satire, cultural programs, and documentaries. Selected applicants will receive the funds needed to cover the costs of their projects, expert mentoring, and technical assistance to support their projects’ development.

How to Apply:
Proposals must be submitted here by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 15, 2017.
Proposals up to $10,000 must use this budget template.
Proposals over $10,000 must use this budget template.

Eligibility:
The contest is open to content producers interested in reaching Russian-speaking audiences in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Projects of Greatest Interest:
ICFJ and MDI are seeking new ways to make entertaining, credible, high-quality news and information accessible to audiences in the region neighboring Russia.

Projects may center on video, film, mobile apps, game development, or other innovative media platforms. Preference will be given to projects that apply creative, appealing formats to present information.

Only Russian-language projects will be considered.

The Judging Process:
Winning projects will be selected by a jury including media professionals and representatives from ICFJ and MDI.

In partnership with:

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Do you want your application for the Eurasia Media Innovation Challenge to stand out?

ICFJ and the Media Diversity Institute (MDI) will hold webinars for potential applicants on March 1 and March 9, 2017 to ask their questions about the program.

ICFJ and MDI will answer your questions about the application and judging process, the program itself, and what we will be looking for in competitive applications. Join us for this web info session on March 1 at 15:00 UTC. See below for more details:

Please download the Zoom platform and make an account before the web info session. You can find the link to download here: https://zoom.us/download. You will need to enter your email address and create a password.

March 1 Webinar:

On March 1 at 15:00 UTC, use this link to join the meeting: https://zoom.us/j/576246701. You will need to log in. You can use this link to figure out when the test webinar will take place in your time zone.

The webinar information is included below. There are options to dial-in rather than using the Zoom app if you have any issues with the audio/visual on Zoom, or have a weak internet connection:

Topic: Eurasia Media Innovation Challenge Info Session
When: Mar 1, 2017 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Telephone Dial: +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) or +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll)
Webinar ID: 576 246 701
International dial-in numbers are available here

Join the webinar on March 1 here

March 9 Webinar:

On March 9 at 15:00 UTC, use this link to join the meeting: https://zoom.us/j/738880428. You will need to log in. You can use this link to figure out when the test webinar will take place in your time zone.

The webinar information is included below. There are options to dial-in rather than using the Zoom app if you have any issues with the audio/visual on Zoom, or have a weak internet connection:

Topic: Eurasia Media Innovation Challenge Info Session
When: Mar 9, 2017 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Telephone Dial: +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll) or +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) Webinar ID: 738 880 428
International dial-in numbers are available here

Join the webinar on March 9 here