Contest Rules - IFAJ Young Leaders Award

The IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award recognizes the leadership potential of young members from countries belonging to IFAJ, and supports their participation at an IFAJ congress through this award, designed to help offset travel and registration. The federation and Alltech believe it is important to support and nurture those who are destined to develop in the profession, to help IFAJ grow and to contribute positively to the global advancement of agricultural journalism and communications.

IFAJ is offering 10 travel scholarship opportunities for young members of the federation. Guilds are encouraged to nominate candidates 35 years of age or younger for these scholarships. This award includes participating in a unique boot camp that will provide expert training and feedback through on-site writing or broadcasting assignments. It further develops young leaders' skills through formal in-class training.  As a part of their learning experience, award winners will write or record spot news during the duration of the congress. Their stories will be made available to the general media and posted on the IFAJ website. Mentors will be assigned to the young leaders to work with them throughout the congress and guide them through their program, which was developed with stimulus and input from IFAJ member Branko Vrabec of Slovenia.

Rules and procedures for nomination and selection:

NOTE: Applicants must clearly state why they believe they have leadership potential in IFAJ.

3.     The IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Award is valued
         at 1,000 Euro per winner.  
4.      Candidates must be nominated by their guild.
5.      The candidate must be able to attend the congress. If the candidate is               selected but ultimately cannot attend the congress, the scholarship is                 forfeited and may be awarded to another candidate.
6.      One nomination per guild is permitted for the awards program.
7.      Candidates must be involved in agricultural journalism or communications.
8.      Candidates must be no more than 35 years old as of December 31, 2012.
9.      Guilds will choose their candidate from among the applicants, and forward
         supporting information about their nominee to the award chair. The
         application will consist of a resume and up to three electronic samples of
         their candidates’ work.
10.    Final judging will be conducted by a three-person panel chaired by the
         IFAJ general secretary.
11.    Judges’ decisions are final.

        Applications must be received by the awards chair by March 1, 2013. 

How to apply: 

Submit applications electronically (via email) to:     

Riitta Mustonen
Secretary General
International Federation of Agricultural Journalists
riitta.mustonen(at)mt1.fi 

Questions? 

E-mail: riitta.mustonen(at)mt1.fi 

Supplementing these awards: 

Winners may need to supplement these awards to cover their total expenses. Here are some suggested ways to supplement the award: 

1. Additional support from the winners themselves.
2. Additional support from the winners’ guilds.
3. Supplementary support from another sponsor.
4. Supplementary support from the winners’ employers. 

About the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists: 

The International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) is a non-political, professional association for agricultural journalists in 31 countries. The federation supports and encourages the practice of agricultural journalism in countries embracing freedom of the press. One of IFAJ's mandates is improved contact between agricultural journalists. To that end, the federation publishes IFAJ News, organizes an annual congress hosted by a member country's agricultural journalists' association, publishes a list of global contacts and offers access to a unique agricultural communications literature collection and information service, in partnership with the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center at the University of Illinois, USA. 

About Alltech Biotechnology: 

Alltech is committed to improving animal health and performance, by adding nutritional value to animal feed, enhancing the performance of the animal and naturally increasing animal production. After more than 25 years in the animal health world, Alltech’s presence has grown into a global company with offices and distributors in 85 countries and more than 1,800 employees worldwide. Headquartered in the USA and with a European Bioscience Centre in Ireland, Alltech has developed a strong regional presence in North America, Europe, Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. It also has 14 production facilities strategically located throughout the world.

More Information

IFAJ-Alltech Award Presentation   [PPT]