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THE EUROPEAN YOUNG REPORTER AWARD

founded by “Reporters d’Espoirs” with the support of the “Fondation Crédit Mutuel”

The first edition has been launched in 2021 to encourage both the practice of French language and solutions journalism across Europe.

This price gathered more than 150 young candidates, coming from 17 different European countries. Encouraged by this success, Reporters d’Espoirs launches the second edition of the Prize. The call for proposal is open until the 20th of April, 2022.

The European young reporter award 2022 is:

  • 3 prizes dedicated to young people from non-French speaking European countries:
    • A 3000€ first prize
    • A 1500€ second prize
    • A 500€ third prize
  • 3 prizes dedicated to young people from French speaking European countries (France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg) :
    • A 3000€ first prize
    • A 1500€ second prize
    • A 500€ third prize
  • April 15, 2022
    Call for applications deadline
  • mid-May, 2022
    Jury's deliberation
  • June 2022
    Awarding ceremony

How to apply ?

You

  • You speak French and write in French
  • You are interested by journalism, or you are a reporter
  • You share the Reporters d´Espoirs philosophy, respect the principles of journalism and especially those of solutions journalism
  • You dwell or are a citizen of a country of Europe (including European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland)
  • You are between 18 and 30 years old

How to apply ?

  1. Register with the hereunder “Apply” button
  2. Send before the 20th of April 2022 to redaction@reportersdespoirs.org :
    • Your report in PDF, DOC or DOCX
    • A both side duplicate of your identity card/passport
    • Your CV

Dedicated to all young people between 18 and 30 years old

A partner network all over Europe

6 prizes, 10 000€ to win

YOUR REPORT

  • The report must be between 7,500 to 15,000 characters
  • It should address one or more successful initiatives (whether they are associative, entrepreneurial, public or private) which respond to one or more issues – social, ecological, economic – and contribute to the construction of an inspiring, united and sustainable society
  • It should contextualize the issue, take a critical look at the issue as much as the solution.
  • It should take a critical look at the issue as much as at the suggested « solutions », their impact, and their spreading potential
  • It should mention the European dimension – for example with regard to the scale of the issue or of the addressed response, or with regard to the potential of the initiative to spread to other countries in Europe
  • Your report has not been published or has been published after the 1st of July, 2021 (in this case you must update your report).

JURY MEMBERS

  • Olivier Guez
    Olivier Guez
    Président du jury, journaliste et écrivain
  • François Reynaert
    François Reynaert
    Journaliste à L'Obs et écrivain
  • Éléonore Gay
    Éléonore Gay
    Journaliste, présentatrice de "Nous les européens" sur France TV
  • Étienne Pflimlin
    Étienne Pflimlin
    Président de la fondation du Crédit Mutuel
  • Dorothée Merville
    Dorothée Merville
    Directrice de la Fondation Hippocrène
  • Alexia Kefalas
    Alexia Kefalas
    Journaliste à Ta Nea - correspondante en Grèce pour Le Point, France 24, Le Figaro
  • Emilienne Malfatto
    Emilienne Malfatto
    Reporter, photojournaliste et écrivaine
  • Laurence Aubron
    Laurence Aubron
    Fondatrice et dirigeante d'Euradio
  • Carolin Ollivier
    Carolin Ollivier
    Rédactrice en chef d'Arte Journal
  • Catherine André
    Catherine André
    Co-fondatrice de Voxeurop, rédactrice en chef adjointe d’Alternatives Économiques
  • Marc Bassets Claret
    Marc Bassets Claret
    Journaliste, correspondant à Paris d’El País
  • Isabelle Maradan
    Isabelle Maradan
    Journaliste spécialisée dans l'éducation

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Regarding the report

What themes should my report focus on?

Your subject must concern a theme of general interest.

The subjects integrating a solidarity dimension are privileged.

For example:

  • Social – Solidarity – Working together: intergenerational bond, parenting, reading and writing for social integration and education, access to health, housing, vulnerable population (disabled, elderly, homeless, migrants / helpers, etc.), coexistence, conflict resolution, living and doing together, mutual aid, democratic vitality, youth employment …
  • Environment and ecology: access to energy, access to food, agriculture, integration to new environmental jobs …
  • Economy: job creation, safeguarding economic activity and employment, integration through employment and training, fair trade, social and solidarity economy …

 

Does my report need to be visually illustrated?

It’s optional. Note that the jury will mainly assess the quality of your writing. You can illustrate your report if you wish (photo, drawing, computer graphics …) but this is neither an obligation nor a determining criterion.

 

What is solutions journalism?

Origin

So-called solutions (or constructive) journalism was formalized in France with the creation in 2004 of Reporters d’Espoirs, an NGO whose mission is to ensure that “information and the media make people want to act ».

It has since been emulated in French editorial offices and spreads all over the world.

 

This complementary way of conceiving journalism is intended as a lead in a range of new possibilities.

 

Definition

« Solutions journalism analyses and disseminates knowledge of initiatives and stories of resilience providing concrete, impactful, and potentially reproducible responses to economic, societal or ecological problems »

 

A method

Solutions journalism seeks to analyze problems first, and then to expose and analyze elements of answers. He thus extends the journalistic questioning traditionally taught in journalism schools (What ?, Who ?, When ?, Where ?, Why?) To a sixth question: “What do we do now?”. This is where the main novelty lies. It is therefore interested in the what (what is the problem?), in the why (what are the people’s motivations who act?), in the how (how do people go about it? develops a project?), successes and failures (to what extent the initiative works and is successful?), results as well as the limits of the initiative (what are its qualitative and / or quantitative results ?, to what extent it responds to the scale of the problem identified ?, what obstacles and brakes it faces?).

A critical approach

Solutions journalism reports initiatives in a distanced, fact-based way. It covers not only the achievements, but also the limitations of the initiatives presented. The « solution » angle does not exclude the description of the issue facing the action. The aim is never to minimize the problem.

The difficulties and dysfunctions must be highlighted, always for the sake of credibility.

It is not to be confused with an advertising or communication exercise either: presenting initiatives that bring solutions does not mean promoting them. In accordance with the role of the media, not to « promote » but to disseminate knowledge, to report, to analyze, with a critical and distanced eye.

 

4 fundamental criteria

In a strict application of the concept, an initiative considered as a “carrier of solution” must meet four fundamental criteria:

  • provide a response to a social, economic, and / or social and / or environmental problem;
  • have a measurable impact, qualitatively and quantitatively – on a significant number of people, an ecosystem, a company, an organization
  • must be made for long-term (making it possible to assess its longevity and viability);
  • be localized (at the scale of a territory) while having a potential for development, swarming, reproducibility in other places, at other scales.

We can add a fifth more subjective criterion: its ability to inspire people and make them want to act. This method therefore targets, in absolute terms, initiatives that have provided proof of their operation.

The initiative can also relate stories of resilience, problem or conflict resolution, concrete responses to problematic situations, people who face and find tangible outcomes to their own problems or to problems identified in society.

Regarding evaluation criterias

What are the criteria for evaluation by the jury?

Mainly the following 4:

  • The editorial quality of your report (level of writing, reliance on sources, testimonials, diversity of interlocutors, etc.)
  • Examination of tangible initiatives and their impact (do the initiatives mentioned already solve a problem locally?)
  • European contextualization (eg: does the problem you are examining locally also arise in other European countries? Could the initiative inspire other European countries? contribute to achieve certain objectives of the European Union?)
  • Critical look (do the initiatives have limits? perverse effects?)

Regarding my application / my profile

Do I have to take a journalism course or be a student to apply?

No. The only criteria is to be between 18 and 30 years old.

 

Can I submit to you the topic I plan to work on to ensure it meets the criteria for the Prize?

Yes. If you have any doubts, ask us for advice on the subject of your report, by emailing redaction@reportersdespoirs.org

 

What country do I need to be a resident of to apply?

Applicants must be residents, or citizens, of the following countries:

France (including its ultra-marine territories)

French-speaking European countries (of which French is a national language)

Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Monaco, Andorra (including their overseas territories).

Non-French speaking European countries (of which French is not a national language)

Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Slovakia , Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia (including their overseas territories).

 

Should my report relate to the country of which I am a citizen or resident?

No. You have complete freedom, regardless of your country of origin or residence, to report on the country or countries of your choice.

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