The European Union and the Samir Kassir Foundation launched the 17th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press on Wednesday.
The award, which the European Union has been handing out since 2006, honors the Lebanese journalist and writer Samir Kassir, who was assassinated in 2005. Over 3,000 candidates from the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa have taken part since it began.
In a video message shared on social media and broadcast on television, European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf encouraged journalists from across the region to participate in this year’s edition.
“Together, let us continue defending freedom of expression and keeping democracy alive,” he said.
For her part, Samir Kassir Foundation President Gisele Khoury stressed the importance of the award as “it perpetuates a legacy that believes in freedom of expression… It is a beacon of hope for new journalists to help them preserve their profession and their freedom.”
The contest is open to candidates from North Africa, the Middle East and the Gulf. The deadline for sending in applications is April 1st, 2022. Three awards will be granted for the best:
- Opinion Article
- Investigative Article
- Audiovisual News Report
The contributions must be centered on one or more of the following topics: the rule of law, human rights, good governance, fight against corruption, freedom of expression, democratic development, and citizen participation. The winner of each of the three categories will receive a prize of €10,000.
The jury will be composed of seven voting members from Arab and European media outlets and one observer representing the European Union. The names of the jury members will be released during the award ceremony, which will be held on June 1st, 2022, in Beirut, on the eve of the 17th anniversary of Samir Kassir’s assassination.
The contest regulations, application forms and details of the candidature file are available: www.samirkassiraward.org
For more information, send an email to: coordination@prixsamirkassir.org
