My Mind Words Paper:
southern africa literature

Deadline: 30 April 2012

Journalists are invited to submit entries for the COMESA Media Awards in the fields of Print, Radio and Television Journalism.

OBJECTIVE: To promote the reporting of COMESA activities in particular and regional integration agenda in general.

Rules of the Competition

1. The entries shall be works which have been published/broadcast between January and December 2011 by a recognised media institution in any of the COMESA member states;

2. The entries should be submitted to COMESA Secretariat by 30 April 2012;

3. The entries submitted for the competition must be directly related to issues and activities pertaining to development and regional integration in the COMESA region;

4. Only journalists who are COMESA nationals shall be eligible to enter the competition, COMESA Secretariat staff and journalists whose media organisations are contracted by COMESA shall not be legible for the award;

5. The competition is open to individuals and not media institutions or organisations; and

6. All works entered for the competition shall be in one of the COMESA working languages, namely Arabic, English and French, and submitted as published/broadcast, in the form of newspaper/magazine cuttings, online publications, and audio or video cassettes.

7. Entries shall consist of the following:

(a) Print Journalism: Features/articles of a minimum 600 (six hundred) and Maximum 3,000 (three thousand) words published in newspapers, magazines and newsletters.

(b) Radio Journalism: Documentary or discussion programmes of minimum 15 (fifteen) minutes and maximum 45 (forty five) minutes duration;

(c) Television Journalism: Documentary or discussion programme of minimum 15 (fifteen) minutes and maximum 45 (forty five) minutes duration.

8. Radio and TV entries should be accompanied by a brief written summary of what the documentary is about

9. All Entries shall be accompanied by the following personal details: Full contact details of the entrant; physical address; telephone number and, fax number and e-mail address of the entrant.

10. Entries submitted shall be authenticated through signature and official stamp by the Editor or Head of the media organisation which employs the entrant.

11. An entry shall be valid only if it is submitted on the prescribed entry form. Entry forms are available for downloading on the COMESA website www.comesa.int

12. The closing date for submission of all entries shall be 30 April 2012.

13. Selection of the best works will be decided upon by an adjudication panel to be decided upon by COMESA Secretariat

14. The adjudication of the Panel shall be final, and no communication shall be entered into between COMESA and non winners.

15. Winners shall be announced and prizes awarded at the occasion of COMESA Summit of Heads of State and Government.

16. First Prize in each category carries a monetary award of US$ 2000, and shall be accompanied by a certificate signed by the COMESA Secretary General

17. The prize will be paid directly to the winner. In case of a winner being unable to be present at the Ceremony. COMESA will make arrangements to send the prize to his/her country.

Respects for Copyrights:

The work submitted by the entrants shall not be used by COMESA in any other way other than the intended purpose. COMESA shall not print, Publish, and/or play on radio or television any part of the works to be submitted for the competition without the prior permission of the publisher or the media organisation which employs the entrant to avoid any copyright infringements.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: contact The Public Relations Officer, COMESA Secretariat, Box 30051, Lusaka, Zambia; Tel +260 211 229725/32; Email: pr@comesa.int

For submissions: submit the media entry form to The Public Relations Officer, COMESA Secretariat, Ben Bella Road, Box 30051, Lusaka, Zambia or by e-mail to pr@comesa.int

Website: http://www.comesa.int/

Deadline: 30 September 2011

USAID and the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) invite applications to a first-of-its-kind regional journalism workshop designed to improve expertise in analyzing health-related survey and scientific data. Increasingly, journalists must learn to use statistical and survey data to provide accurate pictures of national development policies.

USAID and PRB have joined forces with Internews, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the Kenyan Alliance of Health and Science Reporters (KAHSR) to host the "Making Numbers Count" Regional Journalism Workshop, to be held from November 21-23, 2011 at the Internews Training Center in Nairobi, Kenya.

The workshop will provide up to 20 journalists from Eastern and Southern Africa with intensive training in how to interpret and analyze health data, especially from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Journalists will also learn to understand statistical data related to public health disease control programs.

Through guided presentations, discussions and field activities, journalists will develop the tools for turning charts and graphs into stories about the impact of policies on real people's lives. The three-day forum is sponsored by USAID and the PRB, with generous support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Who should apply?

Journalists with 3 to 5 years' professional experience as a staff employee, freelancer or correspondent, and who have a current affiliation with or who have produced a body of work for a newspaper, magazine, broadcast media or online organization are encouraged to apply. They must also:

Reside or work in one of the following East/Southern African Countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, or Zambia.

Submit samples or links to published or aired stories related to health, research and national development issues.

Be able to communicate comfortably and effectively in English during the seminars, though they may write or broadcast in any language.

Funding

Travel, lodging and seminar expenses will be covered.

Deadline

Applications must be emailed to the address below by close of business September 30, 2011. Participants will be notified by October 15, 2011. Those selected will be asked to submit a letter from their editor, director or supervisor in support of their participation in the workshop.

Journalists must be prepared to:

• Participate in all workshop activities.
• Publish or produce at least one special report, series of articles, or broadcast program related to health research, demographic and/or survey data.
• Provide copies of each supplement, series of articles, or broadcast program, or a link to the aforementioned, immediately after its publication or broadcast.

You may request an application by contacting Rachel Jones, Director, the Kenyan Alliance of Health and Science Reporters (KAHSR), at: rjconsults@gmail.com. Along with the application, you must also submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you want to participate.

Contact Information:

For inquiries: rjconsults@gmail.com

For submissions: rjconsults@gmail.com

Website: http://www.prb.org/

Deadline: 30 September 2011

Rhodes University’s Sol Plaatje Institute (SPI) for Media Leadership invites applications for postgraduate scholarships from Southern African women media leaders who wish to study media management and leadership at the SPI in 2012. Successful applicants will register for the SPI’s oneyear, fulltime Postgraduate Diploma in Media Management (PDMM), the only university-level media management course in Africa.

The scholarships are sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and they are for women media leaders in OSISA’s 10 Southern African countries of Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The scholarships cover:

· The full cost of PDMM tuition
· Accommodation and meals in one of Rhodes University’s postgraduate residences
· Course materials and books
· A monthly subsistence allowance
· Medical insurance
· The Rhodes University Levy for SADC students; and
· Mid-year internship costs.

The PDMM is a one-year, fulltime programme designed to provide people working in the media industry with critical skills and knowledge they need to perform more effectively and strategically in their organisations and to fast-track their careers to management positions.

The PDMM is equivalent to an honours degree -- it is pegged at Level 8 on the National Qualifications Framework set by South Africa’s qualifications-setting agency SAQA -- and combines rigorous theoretical and practical grounding.

The diploma is composed of eight compulsory modules covering media economics and financial management; media markets, audiences and advertising; managing media content; managing circulation and distribution; media management and leadership; media management contexts, policy and institutions; new media and convergence; and human resources management.

Application details and procedures:

Only female students from OSISA’s 10 countries of Southern Africa listed above are eligible to apply for these scholarships. Applicants should ideally come from media companies. Successful applicants will be required on completion of the PDMM to return to their employers in their home countries to work there for a period of at least a year in partial fulfilment of having been granted the scholarship.

Applicants should ideally have completed an undergraduate degree from a recognised university. Experienced media practitioners with diplomas in journalism or mass communication studies will also be considered.

Prospective applicants should:

• Complete the Rhodes University’s standard Honours Application form and the New Student form found at www.spiml.co.za under the Courses section or at the main Rhodes University website at www.ru.ac.za under Applying section, Postgraduate Studies. Alternatively, they can request these application forms from the SPI, telephone no: +27-46-603-8851.
• Submit a detailed Curriculum Vitae, including contact details
• Submit a certified academic transcript for their highest qualification; and
• Submit a 1000-word letter of motivation, which explains why the student is interested in doing the PDMM, how the PDMM will assist the student’s career and why the student believes she/he qualifies for the OSISA scholarship. The CV, academic transcript and letter of motivation may be submitted by email to Linda Snam at l.snam@ru.ac.za or faxed to her at +27-46-622-9591, clearly indicating which scholarship the students is applying for. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted after the applications close on 30 September 2011.

See the application requirements here >>

Contact Information:

For inquiries: l.snam@ru.ac.za

For submissions: l.snam@ru.ac.za

Website: http://www.spiml.co.za