OREANDA-NEWS. April 12, 2012. For the second year in a row, Citi in partnership with the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism is awarding journalists for the best works addressing the urgent social-economic issues facing Russia, reported the press-centre of Citi.

Citi announced the Russian finalists of the Citi Journalistic Excellence Award (CJEA) 2012.

In the nomination for best piece on small business as a key factor in the social-economic stability of Russia, the winner was Olga Mironovich, an editor for the Pskov Information Agency. In the nomination for best piece on economics and finance benefiting people, the winner was Diana Dadasheva, a correspondent for the journal Real Business in Rostov-on-Don. Olga and Diana have been awarded the Grand Prize – a trip to the United States to participate in an eight-day course on business journalism at the world-famous Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York.

As last year, the competition took place in two stages. During the first stage, the entries were evaluated by an independent jury composed of Russian experts in small business development, financial literacy and financial journalism.

The Russian jury established a short list of candidates for the final decision by a committee of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, which confirmed the two top candidates as finalists.

"We are grateful to all of the contest participants for sending in their work. This year marks a jubilee for the competition, as it has been held in many countries throughout the world for 30 years now. We are glad that the Citi Journalistic Excellence Award is becoming a welcome tradition for Russian journalism and one that we intend to continue next year as well. I whole-heartedly congratulate the winners on this unique opportunity to complete a journalism mastery class at Columbia University," said Denis Denisov, Head of Public Affairs at Citi Russia & CIS.

"I would like to express my appreciation to Columbia University for such a high evaluation of my work and I am really excited about the trip to the US. I would encourage all of my colleagues to believe in themselves and participate in such competitions as the Citi Journalistic Excellence Award. It really is possible to win and the professional benefits of this are enormous. Many Russian journalists who write for Internet resources do not believe that serious publications are of interest to readers and important for information sites no less than short informational messages. This competition has convinced me that in our work not only precision and speed is valued but also the ability to explain to the reader something that is of public importance. I have always been drawn toward writing compellingly about ‘boring’ subjects, so it is all the more rewarding when these efforts are so generously rewarded," said Olga Mironovich, an editor for the Pskov Information Agency.

"I believe that a professional journalist must continually improve his or her knowledge and work methods, and I am grateful to Citi for providing this opportunity. Participation in the seminar at Columbia University in New York amounts to the realization of a longtime dream of mine. I am anxiously waiting the opportunity to make acquaintances with the professionals of financial journalism. I am confident that thanks to this seminar I will be able to begin a new stage of my professional development," said Diana Dadasheva, a correspondent for the journal Real Business.

"The problem of improving financial literacy among the public at large is extremely critical for Russia and in particularly for the residents of Russia’s regions. I would like to praise Citi for the fact that the Citi Journalistic Excellence Award is primarily directed toward regional journalists. The awards’ founders have created a special nomination with regards to improving financial literacy. It is very important that regional mass media play an enlightening role on issues concerning the financial education of Russian citizens, telling people about the advantages of effective personal finance management, explaining the rights and obligations of consumers, and providing objective information about financial products and services," noted Anna Zelentsova, a member of the jury of the Citi Journalistic Excellence Award and Head of the Financial Literacy and Financial Education Project of the Russian Ministry of Finance.

"Representatives of the Russian Microfinance Center have been members of the jury for the second year now. I am convinced that an open dialogue about the development of small business in the regions on the pages of our media is necessary for contemporary Russia in order to assess the scope of the problem and develop appropriate solutions. RMC has implemented a multitude of projects in this area together with Russian and foreign partners, and we sincerely believe that even modest support for certain groups of citizens who have their own business can raise their quality of life, and small business can grow into major businesses, improving the infrastructure and social conditions of their regions. Journalism plays no small role in this," added Mikhail Mamuta, President of the Russian Microfinance Center.

Competition Chronology: Entries were accepted through February 24, 2012. On March 2 the members of the independent jury determined the short list of finalists, whose works were recommended for consideration in the second stage of the competition. In March 2012 a committee of Columbia University determined the top finalists and winners of the Grand Prize – a trip to the United States to participate an eight-day journalism course at the internationally renowned Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in June 2012. The course will help journalists to enrich their knowledge of financial journalism. The winners will take part in discussions with leading Columbia University faculty members, academicians and policy-makers, and visit key financial institutions and U.S. departments. Visits will include the New York Stock Exchange, Standard & Poor’s, Bloomberg Business News and the Federal Reserve Bank. The course also includes a day of events with executives and speakers from Citi.

The number of articles entered into the 2012 competition nearly doubled from the previous year. A total of 40 journalists of federal and regional publications took part in the competition, having passed a preliminary review by the organizing committee of the 110 articles submitted for consideration.