6th Annual Awards for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication in Africa

The African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet) is an association of HIV/AIDS, health and development communication practitioners who reside, work, or have a primary interest in Africa. Formerly known as the Regional HIV and AIDS Behaviour Change Communication Network (BCC Network), AfriComNet was established in October 2001 in recognition of the severity of the continent’s HIV/AIDS pandemic and the need for high-quality strategic communication to respond to the crisis.

The AfriComNet invites entries for the 6th Annual Awards for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication in Africa.

The awards aim to recognise outstanding contributions made by individuals/organisations to strategic HIV/AIDS communication, encourage innovation and quality in strategic communication, enhance appreciation of strategic communication as a necessary tool for effective health and development programmes, and acknowledge programmes, tools and productions that advance strategic communication and can be adapted and applied elsewhere.

Eligibility:

• Individuals and organizations implementing HIV/AIDS initiatives, campaigns, productions and tools that advance the field of strategic communication and can be evaluated, adapted and applied elsewhere;
• The nominated initiative must have been implemented in Africa;
• The nominated initiative/campaign must have been implemented for at least two years;
• At least one person involved in the initiative’s development should be an African citizen or have worked in Africa for a period of more than two years.

Entries will be judged based on their contribution to innovating, strengthening and popularising strategic communication as a necessary tool for health and development. The jury will score nominations on the following criteria:

• Relevance to context;
• Follows a strategic communication process;
• Innovation;
• Can the intervention easily be replicated?
• Sustainability of the intervention;
• Impact of the intervention or Evaluation results.

Award Categories:

• Best Mass media intervention, campaign or production: This category recognises initiatives using mass media as the main channel (50 percent plus of the initiative) for their strategic communications (includes film, television or radio productions advocating behaviour change or raising awareness about HIV);

• Best Multi-Channel Communication Intervention or Campaign: Recognising integrated strategic communication initiatives or interventions (using television/radio, print, interpersonal channels). Nominations should show that there is a balance in the use of the various channels;
• Best Interpersonal/Community Initiative/Intervention: Includes use of community radio, peer education, counselling, or community mobilisation;

• Best Social Marketing Initiative, Strategy or Campaign: Entries in this category include product/service advertisement, branding or promotion;

• Best Popular/Folk Media Initiative: This category includes the use of creative and performing arts advocating behaviour change or raising awareness about HIV (e.g. theatre, puppetry, visual arts and dance, drama or music concerts, etc);

• Best HIV or AIDS related Series: Entries for this category include newspaper/magazine column or series of articles, documentary films and TV/ radio broadcasts, or comic book series;

• Best Social/New Media Initiative: This category includes the use of new/social media e.g. Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, text messaging, blogging etc, to advocate for behaviour change or raise awareness about HIV. Entries must show that social/new media is the main implementation platform for the initiative.

The two finalists in each Award category will receive a fully paid trip to the award venue, an opportunity to present their initiatives, recognition during a gala award ceremony, and media exposure. The winner will receive a plaque and the runner up a certificate recognising the achievement. AfriComNet does not offer prize money for this award.

To download the nomination form, refer to www.africomnet.org/images/stories/awards/Nominationform.doc.

Completed nomination forms should be e-mailed to infodesk@africomnet.org.

Enquiries: The Coordinator, AfriComNet, Tel: + 256 414 250183 / 237222, E-mail: infodesk@africomnet.org.

For more about the 6th Annual Awards for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication in Africa, refer to www.africomnet.org/awards.html.

For more about the African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development, refer to www.africomnet.org.
 
To view other opportunities, visit www.ngopulse.org/group/home-page/other-opportunities.