Introduction

The SEAMEO-Australia Press Award was established to recognize the media’s contribution to education, especially to Southeast Asian journalists in SEAMEO Member Countries for their excellent coverage of educational affairs in the region. The award is made possible through the efforts of SEAMEO and the Australian Government's Department of Education Science and Training; the Education Section of the Australian Embassy in Bangkok and in coordination with the University of Melbourne and its Asia Link Centre.

Theme: “ Education for Disaster Awareness and Recovery”

The theme was selected as a consequence of the Asian Tsunami on 26 December 2004 which devastated the shores of Indonesia, Thailand and several other Indian Ocean nations. It caused serious damage and deaths as far as the east coast of Africa. It is one of the deadliest disasters in modern history.

Benefits: The awardee will receive

1. a plaque
2. a round-trip ticket from the awardee’s country to Melbourne for a 3-week internship. The awardee will also get free accommodations and meals during the period of stay in Australia, plus a stipend.

Qualification of Applications

The applicant must be a national of a SEAMEO Member Country (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar). Persons who work for the SEAMEO Secretariat and the SEAMEO Regional Centres or the Ministries and Departments of Education of the SEAMEO Member Countries are not qualified for this award.

Terms and Conditions

1. The award is open to journalists working in print media only.
2. The article to be submitted for the award must have been published from 1 November 2004– 30 September 2005.
3. The article must be original, written in English or in any Southeast Asian language, in which case, the entry should be submitted with an English translation.
4. The article may be a single, individual story or a series of related articles.
5. Articles published in academic journals will not be accepted.

Selection Process

Selection will be based on the excellence in journalism as defined by impact, originality, investigative effort and relevance to Southeast Asia.

How to Apply

Journalists who are interested in submitting entries for this award can send in their work through nominations by the Ministry of Education of each SEAMEO Member Country, or by the SEAMEO Regional Centres. Individuals can also send in their entries directly to the SEAMEO Secretariat.

Applications must reach the SEAMEO Regional Centres or the SEAMEO Secretariat not later than 1 October 2005. For more information please contact the SEAMEO Secretariat at telephone number +66 (0) 23910144, fax number +66(0) 2381-2587, email: secretariat@seameo.org or visit www.seameo.org.