European Young Journalist Award 2009

"Enlarge your vision"

Among 600 articles arrived from all over Europe, national juries have decided about winners according to importance of information, originality of approach, journalistic style and quality of writing, as well as possibility to keep attention of readers and efforts invested in preparing article


By WAVE Team
from Belgrade, SERBIA


The 35 national winners (out of 600 articles) of the 2009 European Young Journalist Award are invited from August 29 to September 2, to a cultural and historical trip to Berlin. Among them there is a Serbian winner Milena Stošić, a journalist of WAVE magazine, awarded for the article "Europe on the south of Serbia", published in our April issue.

The winning articles and radio pieces will be published on the competition website and in a booklet also. At the end of the trip the winners will be able to meet EU representatives, politicians, ambassadors and professional journalists.

Project

European Young Journalist Award, a pan-European competition for young journalists, is a project of The Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement, in cooperation with the European Youth Press association and Café Babel, European online magazine. This year Europe celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the iron curtain and the 5th anniversary of the accession to the EU of eight Central and Eastern European countries, as well as Malta and Cyprus. These anniversaries offered a special incentive for aspiring or professional journalists from all over Europe to reflect and express their views on the enlargement of the European Union.

Following the success of last year's competition, the European Commission has offered an opportunity to more young journalists to show case their talent. In addition to written online or print articles, the 2009 award was also open to radio journalists.

The competition was open from the 1 February until the 31st of May 2009. The topic of all applications for all categories had to refer to the EU enlargement and / or the future vision of Europe. Participants were age between 17-35, and they had to come from an EU member states, a candidate or a potential candidate country (Western Balkans and Turkey).

On the occasion of the launch of the competition Olli Rehn, Commissioner for Enlargement said: "I welcome the second edition of this competition and look forward to reading and listening to the views of young journalists throughout Europe. Young people are important opinion leaders for their generation and the competition gives them an opportunity to share their experiences and visions of our European future."

WAVE journalist as a Serbian Winner

Among 600 articles arrived from all over Europe, national juries have decided about winners according to importance of information, originality of approach, journalistic style and quality of writing, as well as possibility to keep attention of readers and efforts invested in preparing article.

Members of Serbian jury were professor Miroljub Radojković -Faculty of Political Sciences, department of journalism, Đorđe Vlajić - journalist of BBC Serbian and Tanja Miščević - professor of Faculty of political sciences and ex-CEO of EU integrations Office. They have proclaimed Milena Stošić, a journalist of WAVE magazine, as a national winner in Serbia. Her article "Europe on the south of Serbia" was published in our magazine in April issue. In this way jury has recognized importance of eurointegrations in less developed part of Serbia, importance of decentralization and stimulating community to popularize European values.

"I consider this award my great personal success, but also a great win for WAVE magazine and I am glad to contribute in this way to spreading idea of European houses", says Serbian winner. "Southern Serbia really is a very passive region of the country and European houses are positive attempt to enlighten the process of European integrations. Also they are very useful and helpful to youth, talking about informing and possibilities of education, students exchanges, travelling to EU and expressing opinions and debating about anything that joining EU can bring with itself. By awarding this topic it is clearly recognized the importance of institutions like this one, but also need for further stimulation in this part of the country where many of young people still go away because of lack of positive perspectives", concluded Milena.

Looking forward to Berlin

"I am very happy about the award because I am still a student and not yet a full-time journalist. The award shows me that I am on the right way. In Berlin we will have the possibility to enlarge our perspective on Europe, as there will be journalists from the old, the new and the future member states", explained for WAVE magazine national winner in Germany Kathrin Breer. "I figure that most of the Germans of my age do like the advantages of free travelling, of Erasmus programs and all the convenient aspects the EU offers to them. But very little are really interested in the politics behind all that. I am looking forward to the trip, and I am curious to meet journalists from all different backgrounds and countries, especially from the eastern ones", said Kathrin.

About this contest and idea of united Europe, Austrian national winner Ulla Ebner says for WAVE magazine: "I am very happy with the award!!! I think that united Europe could be a great thing, or let's say it's a necessary thing, because the problems and challenges we are facing at the moment are global. That means, we cannot solve problems like the economic crisis, climate change, the demographic problem, migration etc. on the national level. It's very important to develop strategies together."

Among the winners of European Young Journalist Award 2009 there are no representatives of Montenegro and Macedonia, and Romania has two journalists that equally share this award.


(Published: 20.08.2009.)