OREANDA-NEWS. On 26 May 2009 was announced, that in the European “super-year” of 2009 the APA — Austria Press Agency together with Bank Austria — UniCredit Group is awarding the “Writing for CEE” journalism award for the sixth time. Not only are elections taking place in all 27 EU Member States in June this year for the European Parliament, it is also the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain and the 5th anniversary of the biggest enlargement to date of the European Union by a total of ten countries — the majority of which are in the former eastern bloc.

Journalists from countries around Europe are this year once again invited to apply for the award that carries the magnificent prize of EUR 5,000. The prize sets the goal of encouraging journalists to deal with issues of European integration. However, the organisers of the event emphasise that it is not an EU award but a “European award focusing particularly on Central and Eastern Europe and South-Eastern Europe”, explains jury chairman Ambros Kindel.  

Entries which have been published between 1 August 2008 and 31 July 2009 can be submitted until 31 July 2009. Transcripts from the radio, TV and the internet are equally welcome. The prize winner will be announced and presented at the end of 2009 during a gala event in Vienna.

The international jury members are Jiri Pehe, ex-adviser to the former Czech President Vaclav Havel, Slovak journalist Michael Berko, Austrian communications consultant Ildiko Furedi-Kolarik, Slovenian writer Joze Hudecek, Polish journalist Igor Janke, Hungarian radio journalist Julia Varadi, CEE media spokesperson for Bank Austria — UniCredit Group Silvana Lins, and Ambros Kindel, head of the APA foreign policy department.

The prize winner in 2008 was radio journalist Anna Koktsidou, who was born in Greece and grew up in Germany. She received the award for her report entitled “The new strangers — Greeceand its immigrants”, which was broadcast in June 2008 by “Deutschlandfunk”, a German national information radio station. The jury came to the conclusion that the vivid report on the fate of refugees and migrants at the EU’s external border was also highly topical for the “centre of Europe”.

Any entries must be submitted in the original language together with a translation into English and a CV of the author. Information on the entry form for the “Writing for CEE” award can be downloaded from the internet at http://www.apa.at/cee-award.