Deadline: 31 August 2011
Established in 1992 by the European Commission, the Lorenzo Natali Prize is awarded to journalists for outstanding reporting on Human Rights, Democracy and Development issues.
To organize the Lorenzo Natali Prize, the European Commission works closely with the Reporters Without Borders, winner of the Sakharov Prize in 2005. The Prize has numerous regional multipliers.
Three print and online press winners from each of the five geographic areas – Africa, The Arab World and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean – will receive prize money (1st prize: EUR 5 000, 2nd prize: EUR 2 500, 3rd prize: EUR 1 500) and a trophy.
The two winners of the Special TV Prize and Special Radio Prize, drawn from entries from all regions, will be awarded EUR 5 000 each.
The Lorenzo Natali Grand Prize of an additional EUR 5 000 will be awarded to the winning journalist(s) submitting the best piece of work overall, as determined by an independent Grand Jury.
All Prize winners will be the special guests of the European Commission at an Awards Ceremony organised in their honour in December 2011.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 31 August 2011 and more information about the application process can be found below.
For Print and Online Media
1. You have until 31 August 2011 to submit your application for the 2011 edition. The application form can be accessed here in the Register section of this web site.
2. To enter, professional print, online and news agency journalists must upload a piece of written journalism – either individually or, for jointly authored or produced items, as a group.
3. Only one item or one extract from a series of journalistic works (i.e. one article) can be entered. If you submit more than one, you will be disqualified.
4. The entry must have been published in print, online media or have appeared in an agency dispatch for the first time between 1 July 2010 and 31 August 2011.
5. Your work must have been published in one of five regions: Africa; the Arab World and the Middle East; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean.
6. It must address human rights and/or democracy and/or development, and have as its background the developing world. Opinion articles are not eligible.
7. Your story must not exceed 10 000 characters with spaces (about 1 400 words). We will consider a short version of a longer item, but you have to upload the full-length piece as well. There is no minimum length requirement.
8. You can submit an article in any language. If it is written in one of the 23 official European Union languages, you must also submit a summary in English or French or Spanish. If you want to enter an article that is not in one of the 23 official European Union languages, you must provide a translation in English or French or Spanish in addition to the summary. The summary should be carefully written as it will be key for pre-selection. It must be no longer than 2 000 characters including spaces.
9. All works will go through a phase of pre-selection. The top 10 items in each category will be given to an independent Grand Jury. The jury will consist of seven people who are recognised figures in journalism, development, democracy and human rights. The jury will choose the final winners.
10. You work will be assessed on: relevance to democracy, human rights, development; originality of approach; professional quality, investigative depth; and public/political impact, if any. The decision of the Grand Jury shall be final.
11. Three prizes will be awarded in each of the five regions. A Grand Prize will be awarded for the best piece of journalism across all media (including TV and radio).
12. The winners in each region will receive a trophy and prize money of EUR 5 000 for first place, EUR 2 500 for the runner up, and EUR 1 500 for third place. The winner of the Grand Prize will receive a trophy and EUR 5 000.
13. The European Commission has the right to reproduce and disseminate the works submitted in its own publications and in publicity material for the Lorenzo Natali Prize, including through its website, its partners and by any other means necessary to promote the Prize.
14. Laureates cannot enter the Prize the year following their award, but are eligible for subsequent editions. Articles written by current members of staff of the European Union institutions or the Mostra communications agency will not be considered. These people can enter three years after leaving their position.
Q: How can I apply?
A: You need to sign up here and submit your completed application. Take time to read the Rules to make sure you know what you need to do to get your entry ready on time.
Q: What must I fill out and upload?
A: Entrants have to fill out the online application form and supply one piece of published journalism – either print, online, radio or television – and a summary of that item in the accepted languages. See the Rules section for detailed information for each media, or Sign Up to see the application form.
Q: Where must my work have been published or broadcast?
A: The piece of journalism must have been published or broadcast in one of five regions: Africa; the Arab World and the Middle East; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean.
Q: If I have published an article in a Maghreb country of northern Africa, which region will I compete in?
A: You will compete in the “the Arab World, Iran and Israel”. The countries in this region are: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, United Arabic Emirates, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Turkey and Yemen.
Q: What if I work for the regional bureau of an international broadcaster or news agency which has its headquarters elsewhere, such as in North America?
A: In the online application form, you can indicate either the country of the media or the country where your article or report was published.
Q: Can I enter a piece of journalism that is not written in one of the 23 languages of the European Union?
A: If your article or script is not originally in one of the 23 EU languages, you must submit a translation of it and a summary in either English or French or Spanish.
Q: Do I have to submit a summary if my article is written in English, French or Spanish?
A: Yes, a summary of 2 000 characters including spaces must accompany all entries. It must be carefully written as it will form the basis of the pre-selection process.
Q: What criteria will my work be judged on?
A: Your work will be judged on how relevant the subject is to democracy, human rights and development issues, how original the approach is, its professional quality, the depth of investigation carried out and what public or political impact the item has had, if any.
Q: When is the deadline?
A: The deadline for submitting entries is 31 August 2011. The items must have been published or broadcast between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011.
Q: Can I participate in this year’s Lorenzo Natali Prize if I did last year?
A: Yes, the competition is open to all journalists who have published an article on the defence of democracy or human rights or development from 1 July 2010 to 31 August 2011. However, the 2010 winners are not allowed to apply for the 2011 edition. They can apply again from 2012.
Q: Are blogs an accepted form of online distribution?
A: No.
Q: Who will be on the jury for the Lorenzo Natali Prize 2011?
A: The Grand Jury will be independent and made up of seven recognised public figures from the domains of journalism, development, human rights and democracy.
Q: What do you mean by ‘developing world’ in the rules?
A: The European Commission wants to use the Natali Prize to promote development, human rights and democracy in the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and in the Arab World and the Middle East. Any article dealing with these areas is accepted.
Contact Information:
For submissions: register here
Website: http://lorenzonataliprize.eu