Over 50 nominations from 22 countries have been received for The University of Queensland 2011 Communication for Social Change Award, which closed on Friday, 24 June.
Administered by UQ's Centre for Communication for Social Change (CfCSC) at the School of Journalism and Communication, the award is the only one of its kind in the world.
It recognises individuals and organisations that have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to using communication to transform and empower marginalised communities.
Each year two awards are presented: one to an individual and one to an organisation or institution.
Co-director of the CfCSC, Associate Professor Pradip Thomas, said that this year's applications were of an outstanding calibre.
"Not only did we receive almost four times as many nominations as last year, but the organisations and individuals nominated are all undertaking transformational communication projects," Dr Thomas said.
Nominations include a mobile cinema project raising awareness of youth HIV issues, a vocational training program for children at risk of labour exploitation, a program that provides training and access to digital video technology so that urban slum youth can tell their stories, a participatory communication project to advocate for the rights of persons with mental illness, and a multimedia project promoting alternative renewable energy.
The independent jury includes UQ Professor of Public Administration Ken Wiltshire AO, Annmaree O'Keefe AM of the Lowy Institute, Sylvia Cadena of the Brisbane-based Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre, Peter Cave of the ABC, and Fiona Crockford, Assistant Director of Citizen Engagement and Political Analysis at AusAID.
"The award jury will have a difficult time selecting just one organisation and one individual," Dr Thomas said.
Judging will take place on July 9 and the award ceremony will be held in October. The award consists of a $AUD 2500 prize and a travel package to participate in the award ceremony in Australia.
The visit will also be used to promote the impact that communication projects can have in development efforts.
The CfCSC specialises in the study, research and practical application of communication processes in sustainable development. Communication for social change is an emerging frontier, the goal of which is to use communication processes, techniques and media to facilitate social, economic and technological development.
For more information visit www.uq.edu.au/ccsc/csc-award
Media: Siena Perry (07 3346 3092, 0404 520 556 or siena.perry@uq.edu.au)
