Civil Society Forum Contest

The Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE Trust) is launching a contest as part of the Civil Society Forum - an international meeting of activists, academics, and non-governmental organisation (NGO) professionals that will take place in Bratislava, Slovakia, September 16-18 2009. The contest is for students, journalists, and activists between the ages of 18 and 30 from Central and Eastern Europe. The competition has three categories: essay, photo story, and video. It is open to legal residents of the following countries of Central and Eastern Europe: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

All entries should be related to civil society issues and should be inspired by the notions of civic engagement and activism, for example, a personal story of civic activism, the issues that matter most to the entrant, or an illustration of the civic engagement in one's local community. Entries will be judged by an international jury, including members of the CEE Trust team, independent activists, and other professionals with experience in the field.

The three winners will be offered a scholarship of up to US$2,000. The scholarship may be used for:
- an internship in a European NGO, international organisation, or any other European institution,
- studies or courses taken abroad,
- a travel grant to visit an event or an organisation related to the participant’s field of study, work, or activism.

Additionally, the top three candidates in each of the three categories will be invited to the Civil Society Forum with the cost of flights and accommodation covered. Winners will also have the option to simultaneously gain hands-on experience by working in an international team of young people documenting the forum in writing, photography, and film. The documentary team’s work will be used to create the Civil Society Forum post-event publication.

All the best works in each category will be published online, on the CEE Trust website, the contest’s MySpace and Facebook profiles, and the Civil Society Forum YouTube channel. The best essays and selected pictures will also be published, acknowledging authorship, in conference materials and in the post-event publication. Selected works will be shown in a special exhibition, taking place during the Civil Society Forum.