Asia Pacific Rice Journalist Award 2008 - Competition Rules and Regulations

1.

Publication/Radio Script: The articles/radio scripts must have been published or broadcasted between 1 September 2007 and 31 December 2008 in print and electronic media i.e., national newspapers, magazines, journals, etc. or on websites of the said media or on radio. While mainstream media is preferred, non-mainstream media will also be considered.

2.

Thematic Scope: Asia's rice heritage (based on any or all of the Five Pillars of Rice Wisdom) and the threats it faces in this era of globalization.

3.

Award category:

• One general category: open to everyone in the eligible countries with no age limit.

4.

Duration of Competition: Entries will be accepted from 1 August 2008 to 2 January 2009.

5.

Judging process: The Award Secretariat will carry out a preliminary screening of all nominations to ensure that they conform to eligibility criteria and are accompanied by the necessary documents (see 7 below).

The organisers have jointly designated a regional panel of judges below comprising journalists, activists and other professionals in relevant fields.

• Darryl D'Monte (Chairman) President of the International Federation of Environmental Journalists (IFEJ)

• Irene Fernandez Right Livelihood Recipient 2005, and renowned Human Rights activist, Malaysia

• Danilo Ramos Secretary General of the Asian Peasants Coalition, the Philippines

• Kalinga Seneviratne Senior Research Associate with the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Singapore

• Devinder Sharma Renowned and Award Winning Journalist and Political Analyst, India

• Song VoKyung Renowned Consumer Advocate, Korea

These judges will assess all qualifying nominations according to these criteria:

• Editorial Content
• Scientific Accuracy
• Originality and Creativity

The decision of the judges will be final, binding, and not open to challenge. The judges and organisers reserve the right not to present an award if nominations do not meet minimum quality standards.

Results are expected to be announced by April 2009.

6.

Prize: The winner will receive the following:

• US Dollars Two Thousand (US$ 1,000) in cash / cheque
• An Asia Pacific Rice Journalist Award plaque
• An Asia Pacific Rice Journalist Award certificate

These will be presented at an event in 2009 to be organised by PAN AP or a PAN AP partner organisation at a venue determined at PAN AP's discretion.

7.

Nominations: The Nomination Form and Author's Declaration Form are attached and are also available at www.panap.net/aprja. Nominations must state the reason for the nomination. Self-nominations are accepted. Submitted articles will not be returned.

Nominations must be accompanied by:

8.

Permission to use articles: The authors agree to allow the competition organisers to use their nominated articles for advocacy, educational, or promotional purposes with no time limit for such use.