Bamako- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mali launched on Tuesday, 3 May 2022, the first edition of an award for the best media productions on migration. Journalists meeting the selection criteria are invited to submit their entries published between 1 January 2021 and 3 June 2022 in print, radio, television, or online media in Mali. To be eligible for this competition, the media contents must address migration-related issues, including migrant voluntary return and reintegration, migrant protection, migrant welfare, migration governance, community stabilization, partnerships and referral mechanisms, employment opportunities, humanitarian border management, as well as awareness-raising among migrants and IDPs about COVID-19.

Applications must be submitted between 3 May and 3 June 2022, through an online application form accessible through the following link: https://formfaca.de/sm/Lk_AnKD8X. The submitted entries will be assessed by a jury made up of experts and partners of IOM Mali. The three best reports will be selected in each of the following four categories: print, radio, television, and online media. An amount of USD 8,000 (approximately 5,000,000 CFA francs) will be shared among the winners during an award ceremony to be held on 7 July 2022.

“This competition will contribute to highlighting the multiple aspects of migration in line with Mali’s National Migration Policy (PONAM) and IOM Mali’s national strategy for the period 2021–2024,” said Pascal REYNTJENS, IOM Chief of Mission in Mali. “I call on eligible journalists to participate massively in this reporting migration competition organized by IOM Mali and its partners,” he added.

Launched under the “Special Measure Project” (SMP) which is an IOM project funded by the European Union, the 2022 edition of the reporting migration competition in Mali is organized in partnership with the Ministry of Malians Abroad and African Integration, Agence France Presse (AFP), Maison de la Presse du Mali, Association des Editeurs de Presse Privée du Mali (ASSEP), Union des Radiodiffusions et Télévisions Libres du Mali (URTEL) and Association des Professionnels de Presse en Ligne au Mali (APPEL).

For more information, please contact IOM Mali’s Media and Communication Unit. Tel.: +223 90 50 00 06.