2016 Global Media Competition on “Breaking Stereotypes on Labour Migration”

ILO launches a global media competition to recognize exemplary media coverage on labour migration.

Media advisory | Global | 14 September 2016
GENEVA (ILO News) - The objective of the competition is to recognize exemplary media coverage on labour migration by encouraging professional journalists to produce written articles or videos/multimedia that while not overlooking the negative aspects (e.g. often a hard reality of exploitation and violation of human and labour rights), also show the positive results of fair labour migration governance, and highlight key aspects of migration (e.g. recruitment) as well as the positive contribution of migrant workers to countries of origin, transit and destination.

This second global media competition “Breaking Stereotypes on Labour Migration” is organized by the International Labour Organization in collaboration with the International Trade Union Confederation, the International Organization of Employers, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Federation of Journalists, Equal Times, Solidarity Center, Human Rights Watch, and Migrant Forum in Asia.

The competition starts on 14 September 2016 and closes on 31 October 2016. Professional journalists are invited to submit one piece of their work to one of the two following categories:
  • written articles (online or print articles)
  • videos/multimedia
Articles should not exceed 2000 words and videos/multimedia should not be longer than 5 minutes. Submissions must have been published between 1 January 2015 and 31 October 2016 to qualify.

The submitted entries should cover labour migration-related issues. Refugees and displaced persons, where they are employed as workers outside their own countries, are considered migrant workers. As such, submissions covering international migrant workers and refugees (participating in labour markets outside their own countries) will be accepted.

Prizes

Two winners will be selected in each category; and each winner will receive a prize of $1000. Winning entries will be featured on ILO website and widely promoted as an example of good journalism.

Requirements

To enter the competition, please fill in the online entry form before 31 October 2016 (latest 23:59, Central European Time). Entries are accepted in three languages: English, French, and Spanish. Entries in other languages will be accepted provided that the applicant presents a faithful translation in one of the three languages mentioned above. Winners will be officially announced on 18 December to mark International Migrants Day. For further enquiries, please contact: Labour-Migration-Media-Competition@ilo.org

Judgement Criteria

A panel of 5 distinguished judges will evaluate the top ten entries from each of the two categories: written articles and videos/multimedia. The decision of the ILO and judges on all matters relating to the contest is final, and no correspondence will be entered into at any stage. The ILO encourages balanced entries that cover different aspects of labour migration and reflect views of various concerned parties: migrant workers, employers, government and trade unions. In addition to ensuring that competition submissions are aligned with the basic ethics of journalism, all submissions will be judged on the following criteria:

Creativity:
  • Contributes to a better understanding of migration for employment purposes, and of migrants and refugees’ situation in the labour market;
  • Portrays a balanced opinion in reflecting the views of various stakeholders (migrant workers, governments, employers and trade unions);
  • Presents creative solutions to overcome labour protection and labour market integration challenges (e.g. if possible comparing the situation before and after the introduction of new legislation, a new migration policy, a bilateral labour agreement, etc.);
  • Helps combat stereotypes, xenophobia or discrimination in the labour market;
  • Addresses new labour migration perspectives (e.g. Fair recruitment).
Accuracy:
  • Gathers material using first hand sources;
  • Includes an English, French or Spanish translation which must be faithful to the original meaning if parts of the submitted entry are in another language;
Protection:
  • Protects vulnerable groups, sources and other sensitive components of the story by not providing unnecessary information that could risk harming them (including visual identities, names, locations etc.);
  • Uses a rights-based terminology.