CABEI Holds 2012 Regional Press Contest on Development

Journalists play a significant role in the promotion, dissemination and analysis of issues related to the development of the Central American region.

That is why the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) is holding the 2012 Central American Press Contest on Development to encourage and support the work of these media professionals to publicize the efforts that regional nations are making to promote development.

The winner of the competition will receive a prize of US$3,000 and a recognition diploma; however the jury reserves the right to award special mentions with recognition diplomas to other participants.

The competition recognizes the authors of the best work in the Central American print and digital media and on television stations on issues related to development on the Isthmus, with a particular focus on fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; guarantee environmental sustainability; and develop a global partnership for development.

In addition, media coverage of subjects other than social development may participate in the contest. These include competitiveness and Central American integration since these are axes of CABEI’s 2010-2014 Institutional Strategy. The Bank is constantly working to foster Central American development and to improve the quality of life of the region’s 50 million inhabitants.

CONTEST RULES:

Publication requirements:
The journalistic work must involve traditional news or reporting; in other words opinion and analysis columns and academic studies are not eligible to compete. Furthermore, the work must have been published or aired between January and July 2012.

Each work must be written in Spanish and must have been published in print media (magazines, daily and weekly newspapers), televised media (news programs), news-oriented web sites (dedicated exclusively to covering the news) and international news agencies covering the region.

To enter the competition, journalists must send a scanned copy of the publication or a copy of the video to the email address below. If the digital video size is too large to send as an attachment, they may send a DVD to the CABEI headquarters in Tegucigalpa or send it through a web site, such as "sendspace" or "yousendit".

The copy must include the exact date that the article was published or the video was broadcast and specify the medium in which it was published or broadcast.

Documents must arrive at CABEI headquarters in Tegucigalpa by 4 p.m. on July 31, 2012. Entries that arrive after this time and date will not be eligible to compete.

Regarding the subject:
The journalistic work must address the subject of development in countries on the Isthmus (i.e. Central America including Panama) with regard to:

    Social Development
    Competitiveness
    Central American Integration
    Fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

The jury:
The pro bono jury appointed by CABEI will include professionals in journalism, development experts and CABEI representatives. The jury has the option to declare the competition void. The names of the authors that are not selected will not be disclosed, and the journalistic works will not be returned.

Deadline:
The deadline for receiving the texts or videos is Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at 4:00 pm local time in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where CABEI’s regional headquarters are located.

Delivery form:
Contestants must email the journalistic works to the following address:
comunicacioninstitucional@externo.bcie.org
The entries should be attached to the email, which must also contain the author’s updated CV.

Jury Decision:
The winner will be announced in October 2012, and the award ceremony will be held in Tegucigalpa during the final quarter of the year.