1.1. The International Journalistic Golden Fern Contest (the Contest) is a special project within the framework of the Eurovision-2005 Song Contest.
1.2. The aim of conducting the Contest - improving the quality of the Eurovision-2005 Song Contest's coverage in mass media, providing full and unprejudiced public information related to the preparation for and holding of the event.
1.3. Citizens of all countries may take part in the contest under the condition of meeting the requirements to the contest-related works. The Steering Committees are formed in Ukraine and Russia in order to conduct the Contest in these countries. The participants representing the mass media of the other countries are considered to be subject to the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Steering Committee.
1.4. Participation in the Contest is free of charge.
2. Contest Organizer
2.1. Ukrainian Vodka Company Nemiroff (UVC Nemiroff) is the organizer of the Contest under the auspices of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). UVC Nemiroff is authorized to determine the Contest's rules and to form the Organizing Committee and Jury of the Contest.
3. Contest Participants
3.1. Only the following have the right to take part in the Contest:
3.1.1. Journalists representing printed and electronic mass media, as well as Internet publications registered in any country in the world;
3.1.2. Mass media editors of the categories mentioned in subparagraph 3.1.1., whose journalists had submitted their works to the Contest.
3.2. Only those authors whose works have either been published in printed and Internet publicationsб or broadcast on radio and television have the right to submit their works to the Contest.
3.3. The application form is given below in the section "Application form". Applications for participation are submitted to the Contest's Steering Committee either by e-mail,
Zolota_Paporot_Nemiroff@pr-service.com.ua, or in writing to the following address: Steering Committee of the Golden Fern International Journalism Contest, Office 100, 19 Lesya Ukrainka Boulevard, Kyiv, 01033.
4. Contest Categories
4.1. International Fern - a contest for the best material on the preparation for and holding of Eurovision-2005 from the position of the globalization of modern cultural space.
4.2. Musical Fern - a contest for the best material covering the musical component of Eurovision-2005 from the position of analyzing the current musical situation in Ukraine and the world and forecasting its future prospects.
4.3. Patron of the Arts Fern - a contest for the best material about the activity of Eurovision-2005's sponsors from the position of their contribution to creating a positive international image for Ukraine;
4.4. Editor's Fern - a contest for mass media editors whose journalists had submitted their works to the Contest's Steering Committee.
5. Requirements for Works Submitted to Contest
5.1. Works published in printed media and Internet publications, or those broadcast on radio or television from 23.03.05 to 01.07.2005, can be submitted to the Contest.
5.2. The languages of the Contest's works are Ukrainian, Russian English and French.
5.3. Works published in print media should be presented in their original print issue version or as Xeroxed copies the original print version pages. Xerox copies should be certified with the signatures of the Chief Editors of printed media and with the seal of their publishing house. A journalist's work published in printed media and submitted to the Contest should occupy from ? to 2 standard pages of this media issue without accounting for photographs.
5.4. Works posted on the Internet must be presented in print version form on the official letterhead of the electronic media, indicating the date and time that the material was posted on the Internet. Printed versions of materials should be certified with signatures of electronic media chief editors. The size of a journalist's work posted on an Internet publication and presented to the Contest should number from 1,000 to 5,000 signs with spaces when counting using the Microsoft Word text editor (word processor).
5.5. Works broadcast on TV should be submitted recorded on video cassettes in VHS format. Enclose a print version of the broadcast material, certified with the signature of the electronic media's chief editor, with the appropriate seal containing the broadcast time and date and the signature of the person in charge for the broadcast release. The length of the material should be from 30 seconds to 1 astronomical hour.
5.6. The works, broadcasted by the radio stations, are submitted recorded on audio cassettes, floppy disks or compact-disks with the audio material recorded in MP3 format. A printed version of the broadcasted material is enclosed, certified by the electronic mass media's chief editor's signature, with an appropriate seal containing the broadcasting time and date and the signature of the person in charge for broadcasting release. The size of the given material should equal from 30 seconds till 1 astronomical hour.
5.7. Materials printed as advertisements and advertising itself are not subject for consideration.
5.8. Contest works are not reviewed and are not returned to their authors. The Steering Committee can correspond with the Contest's participants on the Committee's own initiative.
6. Assessment Criteria for Contest Works
6.1. The Contest works in the categories stipulated in subparagraphs 4.1-4.3 are assessed in accordance with the following main criteria:
6.1.1. Correspondence to the requirements stipulated in article 5.
6.1.2. Trustworthiness - the author's readiness to confirm the unprejudiced character of the information contained in the material by official reference to the information sources relied on (persons connected with the Eurovision-2005 Song Contest).
6.1.3. The ability of the material to create public resonance (letters from readers/viewers/listeners, materials in other media, comments of officials, other persons in charge, and leaders of public opinion).
6.1.4. A creative approach to the material's presentation (originality of the presentation form together with how it corresponds to the style of printed or electronic media, which a given author represents).
6.1.5. The presence of original elements - confirmed priority for placing all the information in mass media contained in the Contest work, or its key elements, which can be qualified as an informational pretext or an expert's commentary.
6.2. The assessment of the works submitted to the Contest by the authorized Jury is final and cannot be appealed.
6.3. In the category "Editor's Fern", the editor of the printed or electronic media that published the largest number of materials covering the preparation for and holding of the Eurovision-2005 Song Contest, wins the award.
7. Contest Prize Fund
7.1. Prizes are awarded in all categories mentioned in paragraph 4 following the order stipulated in paragraph 7.2.
7.2. The Contest's Prize Fund is distributed according to the following scheme:
1
st place in the categories mentioned in paragraphs 4.1.-4.3. (the Contest winner in the relevant category) - a notebook;
2
nd place in the nominations mentioned in paragraphs 4.1.-4.3. - a digital camera;
3
rd place in the nominations mentioned in paragraphs 4.1.-4.3. - a digital Dictaphone.
1
st place in the nomination mentioned in paragraph 4.4. - a Parker pen with a golden feather.
8. Contest time period and conduction stages
8.1. The Contest is held from March 23 2005 to July 1, 2005.
8.2. Contest works will be accepted until July 1, 2005, inclusive.
8.3. An award ceremony for the Contest's winners and laureates will be held on July 6-7, 2005. The Organizer will determine the place where the event will be held.
9. Contest's Steering Committee.
9.1. The Contest's Steering Committee is formed by the Organizer in Ukraine and Russia.
9.2. The tasks of the Contest's Steering Committee in each country include:
9.2.1. Informing the potential participants about the Contest's course and progress.
9.2.2. Admitting the Contest's works.
9.2.3. Informing the Contest's participants about its course and progress.
9.2.4. Passing the Contest's works to the Jury.
9.2.5. Organizing the solemn ceremony for awarding the Contest's winners.
9.2.6. Assisting in highlighting the course and results of the Contest in the mass media.
10.1. The Jury is formed by a decision of the Steering Committee. The Ukrainian Jury consists of:
- Svante Stockselius, executive director of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU);
- Taras Stetskiv, president of the National Television Company of Ukraine;
- Ihor Guzhva, chief editor of the newspaper Segodnya;
- Yuriy Makarov, author and director of Studio 1+1.
- Natalia Konovalova, the Head of the Public Relations Department of Nemiroff.
10.2. The Jury should carry out an expertise of the journalists' works submitted to the Contest and award the prizes.
10.3. The Jury should determine the Contest's winners in the course of open voting by majority vote method.
10.4. The Jury shall evaluate the works of the Contest's participants according to a ten-score system on each criterion mentioned in subparagraphs 6.1.2.-6.1.5. (trustworthiness, ability of material to cause a public resonance, creative approach and presence of original elements). The Jury's members put the scores opposite each of the aforementioned criteria. Public resonance is estimated by the number of comments arisen out in connection with the Contest's work (they are either revealed during the monitoring process or provided by the author). The evaluation of criteria-based scores under the said score system is corrected and adjusted taking into account the significance of each of them (values of ratios are determined according to a specially developed method.) The participant, whose work was given the highest average score by all of the Jury's members on the whole, becomes the winner. If the score of one of the Jury's members differs from the opinions of the other experts to a great extent, it is considered as a specially formed opinion and is not taken into account when the final score is calculated.
