Deadline: 12 January 2009

The 2008 SEAMEO-Australia Press Award is in search for pieces of writing that provide:

• analysis, through experiences and insights of people, governments and societies, on efforts and initiatives to reach and provide education to the undeserved and excluded population groups which are generally referred to as the "unreached";
• incisive reporting on initiatives to provide education for all to improve economic conditions and social participation, particularly of the unreached population groups; and
• strong human feel through the voices of different people and sectors, taking into consideration social attributes and inter-cultural understanding.

The Award

The SEAMEO-Australia Press Award recognizes excellent coverage of education issues by journalists in Southeast Asia. Now on its 9th year, the Award has recognized eight print journalists who have written and produced outstanding pieces on education issues affecting their countries and the region.

SEAMEO and the Australian Government coordinate to make this recognition possible through the Department of Education, Science and Training in Australia and the Australian Education International of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, in coordination with the University of Melbourne and its Asia Link Centre.

The Theme

This year's theme "Reporting on Reaching the Unreached in Education" is linked with the Education for All (EFA) initiative. The EFA movement is a global commitment to provide quality basic education for all children, youth and adults.

The six goals of the Education for All are to expand early childhood care and education, achieve universal primary education, improve the provision of learning and life skills, increase literacy rates, achieve gender equality in education nand advance the quality of education by 2015.

The Education For All commitment includes the unreached population groups.

As defined by UNESCO, the unreached constitutes the last percentages of the population who have either been historically and culturally excluded, or have been pushed to difficult circumstances due to recent economic and political trends.

The unreached include learners from remote and rural communities, religious, linguistic and ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples. They also include girls and women especially those from rural and ethnic minorities; as well as underperforming boys, boys at risk of dropping out or those male dropouts.

Significantly, the unreached population groups also represent children and youth from migrant families, refugees, stateless individuals, nomadic people; learners with disabilities and special needs; working children, street children, trafficked/abused children; people in difficult circumstances and affected by armed conflict and disaster; orphans and abandoned children; learners from very poor families; people affected or infected by HIV and AIDS and so on.

The participation of the unreached is critical in meeting the Education For All goals by year 2015.

The 2008 SEAMEO-Australia Press Award is in search for pieces of writing that feature a particular group or groups of the unreached and how individuals, organizations or government were able to provide them literacy and education. The article should include an analysis through insights of the unreached groups themselves and the people around them on how education helped them improve their lives and their families and become useful members of the society.

The Journalist's Qualifications

1. The award is open to print journalists of SEAMEO Member Countries, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam
2. The applicant must be a national of a SEAMEO member Country.
3. The award is open to journalists working in print media only.
4. Persons, who work for the SEAMEO Secretariat and the SEAMEO Regional Centres or the Department/Ministries of Education of the SEAMEO Member Countries, are not qualified for this award.

The Winning Articles

1. The article must have been published any time between 1 November 2007 to 1 September 2008.
2. The article must be original, may be written in English or any Southeast Asian language in which case the entry should be submitted with an English translation.
3. The article may be a single, individual article or a series of related articles.
4. The articles published in academic journals will not be accepted
   

Details of the Award

1. The winner will receive the plaque of recognition to be given during the SEAMEO Recognition Rites at the 44th SEAMEO Council Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand in March 2009
2. The winner will also receive a round-trip ticket from his/her country to Melbourne, Australia for a three-week internship at the Melbourne Age newspaper, including free accommodations, meals and a stipend.
3. For winning entry written by more than one author, the prize will be given to only one journalist.
4. The 2008 winner will be notified by the SEAMEO Secretariat including the details of the awarding ceremony.

Selection Process and Criteria

1. The Selection Committee consists of senior journalists and journalism experts from the print media in Southeast Asia, and representatives from the SEAMEO Secretariat and the Australian Embassy in Bangkok.
2. The selection will be based on excellence in journalism as defined by:
   • Impact
   • Originality
   • Investigative effort
   • Relevance to Southeast Asia

How to Send Entries (Entries should be received by the SEAMEO Secretariat on or before 12 January 2009)

1. Entries may be submitted through nomination by the Department/Ministry of Education in the SEAMEO Member country, or by the SEAMEO Regional Centres.
2. Entries may also be submitted directly to the SEAMEO Secretariat.
3. In either case, entries should be sent always in two forms:

• Electronic copy by e-mail - consists of a soft or electronic copy of the article in MS Word format and the completed application form. Click here to download application form.

The documents to be sent by email to the SEAMEO Secretariat should be addressed to: secretariat@seameo.org. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Print copy by post - consists of a hard or printed copy of the original or photocopied newspaper clipping and the completed application form. These documents should be sent to:
  
  The 2008 SEAMEO-Australia Press Award
  SEAMEO Secretariat
  Mom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building
  920 Sukhumvit Road
  Bangkok 10110, THAILAND