The Youth Cafe: Engaging the youth in the fight against corruption and the closing civic space in Kenya
Photo/ Video Competition Guidelines
The running organization:
The Youth Café- The Youth Café is a not-for-profit pan-African youth organization founded in Kenya in 2012 and officially registered in 2014. We aim to model, inform, and advance youth-led approaches to sustainable development, environmental stewardship, social equity, democratic governance, and economic viability by utilizing innovative research, media, policy, advocacy, as well as cross-cultural and intergenerational partnerships. Find out more about the contest.
The Purpose of the photo/video competition:
The Youth Café is conducting a project aimed at engaging the youth against corruption and the closing civic space in Kenya. The photo and video competition is one of the activities in this project.
The goals of the photo/video competition:
To create awareness on corruption and the closing civic space in Kenya.
To start conversations on corruption and ways to mitigate it.
To reflect on how we contribute to the corruption statistics in Kenya. 4. To elevate the voices of the youth in the matter.
To use art as a creative media to mitigate corruption.
Eligibility of entry
The photo/video competition is open to all Kenyan Youths between 18 and 35 years as per the UN definition of a “youth.” However, under 18s who would wish to participate can sign the consent form on our website.
Every participant must be willing to provide any details necessary for the period the competition will run.
Participation in the contest is free.
How to enter the competition
The participants will prepare their submissions and send them via a google form linked here.
Safety
Your safety is our top priority. Please be aware of everything around you when you are filming and all the precautions for Covid-19 including social distancing. If under 18, please only film when a guardian is present. Please do not film anyone who hasn’t given consent on camera to be part of the film.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic:
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces like mobile phones.
Carefully dispose of any used wipes.
Do not enter any quarantine zones (e.g. hospital treatment wards) without authorization. Stay safe!!
Judging
Announcement of winners will be done in April 2021 as organized by The Youth Cafe. The entries will be judged by professionals in the fields of photography, journalism, public relations as well as social leaders, who will recommend winning entries to The Youth Cafe. Photographs will be judged on relevance to the contest theme, power of the message, creativity, technical quality and suitability for presentation to an international audience. If necessary, the selected photographs will be edited. The decisions of The Youth Café and partners are final.
The photos will be shared on our Facebook and Instagram pages for people to share their opinions on the submissions.
Photo/video themes
This competition specifically focuses on corruption and how youth can be engaged in fighting it.
Claim of Ownership
Contestants must own all right to the photographs submitted, and releases for the photographs submitted are the contestant's responsibility. Any plagiarism will lead to immediate disqualification from the competition. The culprit will be considered a hindrance to the fight against corruption.
Material specifications
(All costs incurred in relation to an entry will exclusively be borne by the contestant)
Photos:
A submission of a maximum of 5 related photos is allowed.
Photo must have been taken in the last 24 months.
Photos should be about 1080 pixels wide by 566 pixels to 1350 pixels high to reduce loss of quality after compression.
Photos must be clear and taken with lighting conditions considered.
The use of drones is not encouraged and drone footage will not be accepted.
Photographs should not be branded or watermarked in any way.
Videos:
Videos should be a maximum of 1 minute.
Videos must be clear and taken with lighting conditions considered. ·
The use of drones is not encouraged and drone footage will not be accepted.
Videos should not be branded or watermarked in any way.
Videos must be taken in the last 24 months.
Prizes
The Final winner, 1rst runners up, second runners up and third runners up will be recognized and awarded.
Rights
You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit -- including ownership if applicable. You only grant The Youth Cafe rights to your photograph if you are honored by the competition as a winner.
Timelines
Activities 2nd November 2020- 31rst January 2021 Submission of photos and videos. February 1rst 2020 -February 28th 2021 Public voting March 1rst 2020 - March 31rst 2021 Judging by professionals April 1rst 2020 Announcement of winners.
Guidelines to good mobile journalism
Storyboarding- think about what you want to produce and sketch it to see the visual representation. Analyze what you have that could help you achieve the desired output.
Fact checking- ensure that your final output is credible and the picture/video tell an authentic story.
Observe journalism ethics- Your images/ video should be fair and this is ensured through fact checking, lack of propaganda and respect for the parties.
Employ the basics of shooting- The sound must be good, lighting should be maximized and the context should relate with the content.
Use different types of shots to tell your video story to ensure continuity. Wide hot cover a wider range of view, middle shots focus on specific objects and close-ups focus on the details of objects.