The 3^rd ASEAN Youth Social Journalism Contest 2023 is calling young, aspiring journalists in ten ASEAN countries to learn how to develop impactful social campaign. The theme of this year’s contest is “Community Resilience.”

Application Deadline: 3 March 2023

Submit Applications through: bit.ly/AYSJ2023Jotform

Send Inquiries to: [email protected]  

Introduction

ASEAN Foundation, ASEAN Secretariat, and the ASEAN-USAID PROSPECT, a joint project of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. State Department, are proud to present the 3^rd ASEAN Youth Social Journalism Contest 2023 (AYSJ 2023) with the theme of “Community Resilience”.

The programme has the objective to empower young aspiring journalists in ASEAN to advocate important social issues in the region and drive an impact in their community.

Over the past five years, three AYSJ contests have been conducted. The contest has reached hundreds of youth amateur social journalists across Southeast Asia. A total of 58 finalists from all 10 ASEAN Member States have received training to conduct campaigns voicing awareness across the ASEAN Community on a range of social issues, from addressing rising rates of domestic violence experienced by women, raising awareness about considering the needs of person with disabilities in public health measures, food security issues, countering disinformation online about the pandemic to promoting eco-friendlier online shopping. Past AYSJ finalists have gone on to pursue studies in civic engagement, as well as careers in creative writing for NGOs and with media outlets such as the Financial Times, to name a few.

Benefits

The programme will bring aspiring young journalists from all 10 ASEAN countries for -in-person social journalism training on 12-16 June 2023 that will be held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia’s beautiful city of cultural heritage. Expenses related to flight, accommodation, local transportation, all activities related to the programme, daily meal, and travel insurance will be covered by the organiser.

It is an exciting opportunity for young journalists to connect and exchange with fellow youth from all around ASEAN and showcase their skills. Applicants should form a team of two members from the same country, and following the one-week training, the finalists will receive a small allowance, and be challenged to apply their new knowledge and drive impactful social campaign in their community.

Based on the performance of their campaigns, the top 3 finalists will get cash prizes of USD 1,000 (1^st winner), USD 750 (2^nd winner), and USD 500 (3^rd winner).

Eligibilities

1. Aspiring youth interested in journalism that hold an ASEAN Member State passport* (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam) and resides in the country of citizenship.
   (Important note: professional journalists who are full-time employees of established media outlets are not eligible to participate.)
2. The interested ASEAN youths are required to form a team of two from the same nationalities. The applicants must be between 18 and 30 years old by the deadline of applications
3. Applicants must be able to communicate fluently in both spoken and written English.
4. Applicants must have active Facebook and Gmail accounts for ease of communication with the organisers, trainer, and other participants.

*For this stage of the contest, national ID cards will be accepted. However, any applicants shortlisted for the next stage of the contest will need to possess a valid passport for international travel.

How to Apply

1. Write a team’s essay (500 words) and campaign ideas (300 words) on the theme of “Community Resilience”. Relevant to the uncertainty the world is predicted to face this year, the campaign should showcase optimistic and inspiring messages on ASEAN Community’s effort in strengthening resilience and coming up with better responses to adversity and uncertainty.
   The topic can be related to creative and innovative actions seeking to address issues related to, but not limited to:
   • Food crisis
   • Energy crisis
   • Healthcare
   • Climate change
   • Technological disruption
   • Building sustainable peace
     
     The essay should also answer the following questions:
   • What is the problem you are trying to solve with your campaign?
   • What evidence do you have that there is a problem?
   • What is your target audience?
   • What qualifies you to be listened to by the target audience?
   • How will your campaign contribute to solving the problem?
   • What will be the expected tangible results of the campaign?
2. In the application form, list any supporting references to existing publications or sources that support the information in the essay. Such references can be in any format, such as text, photos, infographics and audio/video.
3. Complete the application form at bit.ly/AYSJ2023Jotform and upload all attachments as requested. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
4. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by 31 March 2023.

Deadline for Applications

3 March 2023 at 23:59 (GMT+7)

Application Process & Evaluation Criteria

A selected panel of judges will evaluate your essay submission. The selection criteria are outlined below:

1. Clarity of ideas: The essay clearly demonstrates an understanding of the theme and why it is important.
2. Originality and creativity: The content is unique and written in a creative and compelling way with a thoughtful approach from the youth perspective.
3. Potential reader impact: The essay conveys personal or aspirational thoughts that are inspiring to viewers.

Following the evaluation process, ten teams consist of 20 finalists (two from each ASEAN Member State) will be selected to participate in the - in-person journalism training workshop on 12-16 June 2023 in Yogyakarta.

The one-week workshop will provide hands-on training and mentorship to design and implement successful campaign that effectively engages the audiences and advocates for issues that matter for the community.

What to Expect in the Workshop?

During the workshop, each country team will develop one agreed upon campaign proposal to raise the awareness and address the above-mentioned theme related to ASEAN and in their home country and pitch this proposal to the trainer and judges.

The trainer and judges will evaluate the proposal pitches and provide feedback and guidance to the finalists.

What Happens After the Workshop?

Following the workshop, each team will receive a stipend and be required to implement their proposed campaign to attract public engagement. Each Team will be required to submit content posts (e.g.: news articles, photos, videos, etc.) in English to be evaluated and published on the ASEAN Social Journalism Facebook Group. Activity and content will then be evaluated based on several indicators such as the amount of content published, the diversity of the content format, the frequency of the publication of the content, and audience engagement. Following the evaluation, the top three teams will be announced to receive cash prizes to support the sustainability of the activity.

Copyright: By submitting an entry to the contest, participants agree to grant ASEAN Foundation, ASEAN Secretariat, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the U.S. Mission to ASEAN the right to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entry in any media at any time. Participants should not use organisers’ logos in their campaign.

Timeline

Contact Information

If you have questions regarding the 3^rd ASEAN Youth Social Journalism Contest 2023, please contact [email protected]