Paper Contest 1: Is the Internet a positive development for news reporting? Does it represent a more democratic medium of information?

Rules of the Competition organised by the Contemporary Media Research Foundation Maurice De Velder:

Topic of paper 1:
Is the Internet a positive development for news reporting? Does it represent a more democratic medium of information?

Rules:
1. All papers must be written in English.
2. Maximum length of each paper is 4 pages of A4 (not including a title page and bibliography).
3. The CV of the author(s) must accompany the entry, but must be printed on a separate paper.
4. Ensure that the following information is included: name, address, contact phone number, picture, and email of the author(s).
5. Deadline for Paper 1 is 2 April 2011.
6. Submissions should be emailed to mauricedevelder@hotmail.com.
7. Prize money: €200 for the winner of Paper 1. In the event of a team of writers winning, the money should be divided equally among the team.
8. Only original work, previously unpublished, will be accepted.
9. The winning papers as well as a selection of the other entrees will be published on this website, plus on a Foundation website which is currently under construction. There will be no other communication about the topics, the judge’s evaluations or the results. Writers of the winning student papers will be invited to receive the prize monies in person but, if unable to attend, a cheque will be mailed. If you have not heard by 1 June 2011 then your paper was not the winner.
10. The competition is only open to people studying full time or part time at a recognised school, college or university. Proof will be requested from the winners before prizes are awarded.
11. The copyright of the winning paper will be owned by the Foundation. Authors of the winning papers may not re-publish the papers elsewhere without the written permission of the Foundation.

FAQs:
Q: How much does it cost to enter?
A: Nothing.
Q. What is the deadline?
A. 23.59 p.m. on April 2nd, 2011
Q: Does my paper have to follow a particular format, structure, font etc?
A: No but please don’t make the font so small that it strains the eyes of the judges! It must be a maximum of 4 pages of A4, not including a title page and bibliography.
Q: When will I know if I’ve won?
A: If you haven’t heard from us by August 1st you haven’t won. We will announce the names of the winners on this website.
Q: Who are the judges?
A: The judges will be announced soon but they will all be vastly experienced media experts.
Q: I’m not a student. Can I still enter?
A: Feel free to send us a paper but unfortunately you will not be eligible to win.
Q: If I win you say you’ll need proof that I’m a student. What sort of proof?
A. We’ll ask you to scan and email a copy of your student ID card or equivalent. If that’s not possible, we will contact your school/college/university to ask them to confirm that you are studying there.
Q: If I win, what will you do with my paper?
A: We will publish it on this website, and possibly others. We will of course credit you with being the author. You may not publish it elsewhere without our written permission.
Q: What if I don’t win? Who owns the copyright?
A: You do. We will retain no rights to your work. However, we might publish your work on this website or on other websites related to the Foundation. If you intend to publish it elsewhere, you should wait until after August 1st 2011 otherwise you will be ineligble to win this prize, which is only open to unpublished work. By “unpublished” we mean that it must not have been published in a magazine, book, newspaper, on a website or in any other media in the public domain.

 

Contemporary Media Research Foundation Maurice De Velder

The Contemporary Media Research Foundation Maurice De Velder was established in early 2011 by Maurice De Velder, the CEO of Belgian publishing house Think Media. The goal of the Foundation is to support and inspire students researching media related topics. The Foundation will choose and post several topics a year and invite students to participate by submitting a short polemic paper. The Foundation will evaluate the entries and award cash prizes to the winners. Papers will be evaluated by international media experts.