Call to Action for Journalists: #CrisesofInequality UNRISD Media Contest

DEADLINE: 4 DEC 22

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is launching the #CrisesofInequality Media Contest for the best journalistic materials to showcase the key themes of the Institute’s 2022 Flagship Report: Crises of Inequality: Shifting Power for a New Eco-Social Contract launched on 21 October 2022.

The purpose of this contest is to call on journalists to help us increase awareness on the urgency to build a new eco-social contract based on visions of justice, equality and sustainability. 

If you are a journalist working at the intersection of social and environmental justice and want to explore the role of elites and policy makers in driving or mitigating inequalities, the impacts of inequalities and crises on people’s lives, and individual and collective strategies to reclaim rights, submit your entry to participate in UNRISD’s #CrisesOfInequality Media Contest.

Last submission date is 4 December 2022 by 23:59 CET (extended deadline). Read below about eligibility requirements. Winners will be announced in early 2023.

About the Flagship Report

 Through the lenses of intersectionality and power, UNRISD’s 2022 Flagship Report shows how inequalities and crises reinforce and compound each other, leading to extreme disparity, vulnerability and unsustainability. It argues that this is not the result of a broken system but one in which inequality and injustice are built in by design, to the great detriment of people and planet. There is perhaps no stronger evidence of the pressing need to redesign our global system than the fact that a global health crisis doubled the wealth of the 10 richest men in the world while sending upwards of 120 million people into extreme poverty.

 The report’s key messages are:

Our world is in a state of fracture – the social contract is broken

     Not a flaw in the system, but a feature

  Inequality is a driver, an amplifier and a consequence of multiple crises, creating a vicious cycle

Vulnerable and marginalized groups are falling further behind; elites shield themselves and often exploit crises for their own gain

   We can create pathways towards a new eco-social contract based on visions of justice, equality and sustainability

We need a new development model for social, economic and climate justice

  Only if we rebalance existing power structures and create new alliances can we achieve transformative change

 UNRISD’s flagship reports are recognized for deepening development debates, shaping policies, and putting critical issues squarely onto global agendas. The reports provide a wealth of evidence, analysis and proposals that can help people to make informed judgments on pressing global issues and to learn about potential policy solutions and political strategies.

How to participate?

The contest is open to all press, radio and TV journalists and media actors working in any language. Eligible entries must:

Pick a theme from the UNRISD’s 2022 Flagship Report and make a clear reference to it when writing your story. The full report as well as an overview of the publication are available here. Unofficial translations of the overview document can be made available in French and Spanish upon request to info.unrisd@un.org

Your entry must be preferably no longer than 1,500 words for print, 15 minutes for audio and 5 minutes for video

We accept entries in any language; however, you must include a written translation for all submissions not originally produced and published in English (submissions will not be judged on the quality of the translation).

Publish your story in a media outlet (not self-published) between 21 October and 4 December 2022. You can also share it on social media using the hashtag #crisesofinequality.

Submit your entry by 23:59, 4 December 2022 through this submission form.

Any additional materials and attachments should be sent to info.unrisd@un.org, specifying your first and last name with the subject: UNRISD Media Contest Submission, by 23:59, 4 December 2022.

Prizes

The top three entries will be selected and awarded a prize as follows:

1st prize: USD 1,000

2nd prize: USD 750

3rd prize: USD 500

A special prize of USD 500 will be awarded to the best publication from a young (under the age of 30) reporter outside of the top three.

Media contest jury

Meet the international jury of the contest.

How does the Jury select finalists and winners?

Entries will be assessed by fellow journalists, experts in the subject matter and the UNRISD team based on the following criteria:

Choice of subject in relation to the themes of the report

Quality of journalistic production (written, audio and video technique)

Relevance, quality and creative use of findings in the published piece

Accessibility of the content for the general public

Journalists from the global South, people of colour, people from Indigenous and local communities, women, youth, and LGBTQ+ persons are strongly encouraged to join the call to action.

APPLY HERE