Contest Rules

1. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the international news agency IPS Inter Press Service convene the journalism contest "Economic Development, the Fight Against Poverty and Social Exclusion in Poor Rural and Indigenous Communities of Latin America and the Caribbean".

2. The contest submissions should be focused on the lives, challenges and projects of the members of poor rural communities and indigenous communities in Latin America and the Caribbean; economic development, the fight against poverty and social exclusion, human rights and cultural diversity.

3. The prize will be awarded to the two best entries -- articles, interviews or reporting of any kind -- published between Jan. 1 and Sep. 30, 2008, in established print media of small and mid-sized populations linked to rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean, or print or online publications of civil society, community-based or indigenous organisations.

4. The first-place winner will receive 1,500 U.S. dollars, and the second-place winner will receive 1,000 U.S. dollars.

5. The contest is open to journalists and ongoing or occasional contributors to the media described above, individually or in a group.

6. Entries may be presented written in Spanish, Portuguese or indigenous languages. If the article has been published in an indigenous language, a translation to Spanish or Portuguese would be required for the submission.

7. The prizes will be awarded by a three-member international jury, selected in agreement by the organisers. The jury's decisions will be made by simple majority and are final.

8. The jury's decisions will be announced before Dec. 15, 2008, at a place and time to be decided by the convening entities.

9. Requirements for submission:
a. One (1) sample of the original publication, plus three (3) photocopies (if the submission is made by postal mail); or the full-page original publication and the certification of the medium, both scanned at 100% size at definition 150 dpi/ppp, plus the transcription of the article in a Word document (if the submission is made by e-mail).
b. A certification of the communications medium, which specifies the date of the article's publication.
c. Completion of the technical form that appears in the Annex of these contest rules.
d. All materials should be submitted together; in one envelope if sent by postal mail, in one message if sent by e-mail.

10. If submitting by postal mail, participants should send their articles and necessary documentation to:

IPS Inter Press Service
Sede Regional América Latina
Juan Carlos Gómez 1445/piso 1
11000 Montevideo – Uruguay

If submitting electronically, the articles and documentation should be sent to: concurso[at]ipslatam.net

Submissions arriving at after October 15, 2008 will not be accepted. The organisers will send e-mails to confirm receipt of the materials.

11. Participation in the contest assumes acceptance of these terms. Entries that do not comply with all of the requirements will not be considered by the jury.

12. If a winner is a group or a media team, the prize will be presented to the person indicated on the application form as the leader; otherwise it will go to the first name listed of the group or team.

13. In the case that a winner is deceased, the prize will be given to his or her legal heirs, or to whomever they should decide.

14. IFAD and IPS will be able to make use of all articles submitted for the purposes of promotion, but not for any kind of profit. In no case shall the originals be returned.

15. Employees or direct collaborators of IFAD or IPS are excluded from participating in the contest.

16. The jury has right to declare any of the prizes void.

17. Participants may present more than one entry.

18. Professional communicators associations, communications media, civil society organisations, and all associations, entities and personalities involved with rural communities and indigenous peoples may submit entries for the contest, with the consent of the author.

19. Submissions can include articles that have participated or won other communication awards, whether at the local or national level.