The African FOSS Reporter Award
The African FOSS Reporter Award
Recognizing excellence in IT Journalism and FOSS Reporting in Africa
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) has the potential to curtail some obstacles towards adoption and effective use of ICTs in Africa and to contribute to bridge the digital divide. However the potential contribution of philosophy, economy and software development model of FOSS to the issues facing Africa are often overlooked or under-represented by the media. We are searching for enthusiastic writers/journalists who want to demonstrate their journalistic abilities by examining these issues.
FOSSFA has issued the African FOSS Reporter Award Competition 2012. The award aims to highlight the impact of FOSS on the development of Africa. It recognizes outstanding reporting for a general audience and honors individuals (rather than institutions and publishers) for their coverage of FOSS.
The competition is run in partnership with Deutsche Welle and supported by OSIWA as part of an initiative to raise public awareness of FOSS.
PARTICIPANTS
The award is open to Africans living in Africa, authors of articles or broadcasts that have been published or aired in the last two years.
CONDITIONS
Winning entries are articles or broadcasts, either in English or French, that are valuable to an African audience, show clarity in their communication and are significant in disclosing, explaining, interpreting and reporting the impact of FOSS on the development of Africa and recognizing newsworthiness.
CONFERMENT OF AWARD
The winner and 2 runners-up will be announced and presented with their awards during a special awards ceremony at Idlelo, the 5th African Conference on FOSS and the Digital Commons that will take place next March 19th-23rd in Abuja, Nigeria.
Each runner-up will receive a certificate and a full Idlelo Pass.
The winner will receive a certificate, an Idlelo Pass, and a cash prize.
ENTRY DEADLINE
Deadline for receipt of the awards entries is February 28, 2012.
SUBMISSION
Entries should be sent by email to idlelo5@fossfa.net or by mail to Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa, c/o The Advanced Information Technology Institute (AITI) of the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Center of Excellence in ICT, (KACE) Second Avenue, Opposite Council of State, Private Mail Bag, State House, Accra, Ghana. Entry must include a completed entry form. Download the FAQ and FORM.
JUDJING CRITERIA
Subject Matter
Judges will score the subject matter out of 10; based on originality; importance; general interest and usefulness.
Insight
Judges will score the article for insight out of 10, based on accuracy; the value of the insights; the quality and relevance of the sources/opinions.
Writing Quality
Judges will score the articles for their writing quality out of 10, based on grammar; article flow; flair; readability and entertainment value.
Adaptation to the medium
Judges will score the articles for their writing quality out of 10, based on the capacity of the author to adapt the message to the medium he/she has chosen to participate in the competition.
THE JURY
The Jury will be made up of:
- One member from FOSSFA Secretariat
- One FOSSFA executive
- The Open Society Initiative for West Africa
- The Deutsche Welle
- One media expert
For more information please contact idlelo5@fossfa.net