ADB Institute Opens Developing Asia Journalism Awards Competition

The Asian Development Bank Institute today opened the 2012 Developing Asia Journalism Awards (DAJA) competition with a call for submissions of articles by journalists working in developing Asia and the Pacific.

"The DAJA competition is a unique opportunity to highlight the significant contribution of journalism and individual journalists to the development process in Asia," said Masahiro Kawai, Dean and CEO of the Asian Development Bank Institute, in opening the competition.

"Asian economies are changing rapidly," he said. "By providing clear and well-informed news reporting and analysis journalists play an important role in every society by helping the public better understand the issues and events shaping their future."

DAJA 2012 will focus on a critical question facing Asia and the Pacific: "Green Growth – or Growth versus Green?"

The Asia-Pacific growth and development story over the past five decades is unprecedented. And the rapid transformation of economies is continuing. But the process of rapid growth and rising prosperity has been resource and energy intensive. In many places the impacts on the environment have been severe. Often the poor and vulnerable suffer the greatest consequences.

It is now widely accepted that a new growth path is needed. Environmental damage is no longer viewed as an acceptable trade-off for economic expansion. Countries, cities, communities, and individuals around the region are acting on this belief.

"The choices are not easy. Economic growth is important. It creates jobs and raises resources to fund education, health, and other social programs critical to long-term development. But a business-as-usual scenario is no longer viable. Asia needs to find a new, sustainable way to grow and develop," said Mr. Kawai. "We hope the DAJA competition can explore this complex challenge through the work of journalists who are trying to understand and explain such issues better every day."

DAJA 2012 will highlight the opportunities, challenges, and solutions being uncovered as Asia and the Pacific seek a path to sustainable growth. Journalists are invited to submit published articles that explore the interaction between populations and the environment across the region.

• Can economies maintain rapid growth without damaging the environment?
• How are the development decisions and actions of communities, cities, and countries affecting the environment?
• What are individuals, community leaders, business people, politicians, the judiciary, governments and others doing to improve the balance between man and nature?
• How will the promotion of Green Growth impact efforts to alleviate poverty?

Possible topic areas include issues such as climate change (droughts, flooding, sea-level rise, etc.); energy use/efficiency; renewable energy; water, waste, and forest management; sustainable transport; pollution; urban development; and others.

In assessing submissions an international panel of judges will give special focus to stories that investigate how these issues are impacting the lives of the poor—the 1.8 billion Asians living on less than $2 a day—and stories that explore new ideas or approaches to managing environmental challenges that may be of use to others in Asia and the Pacific.

The deadline for submission of articles to DAJA 2012 is 31 August 2012.

The panel of judges will select 25 finalists. Cash prizes will be awarded to one Winner, one First Runner-up, one Second Runner-up and one Young Development Journalist of the Year (under age 30 as of 31 August 2012). All finalists will be invited to the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo in November 2012 for a special DAJA forum and awards ceremony.

If you are interested in participating in the DAJA 2012 program, please register online. When you have registered, you will be sent instructions by email on how to login to your account to submit articles.

For information on competition rules and mechanics, as well as information on how to submit articles, journalists should visit the ADB Institute web site: ADBI Journalism Awards.

Source: http://www.adbi.org/news/2012/05/31/5069.daja.2012.entries.open