Guardian Development Journalism Competition

Camfed is one of eight charities that is collaborating with the Guardian in the exciting new Guardian Development Journalism Competition, which launches on March 10, 2008.

The competition is open to UK-based students and freelance journalists with an interest in looking behind the headlines and investigating why 2.7 billion people around the world are still living in poverty.

Two of the competition’s 16 finalists – one student and one freelance journalist – will get the chance to see Camfed’s work first-hand, and to find out why educating girls and empowering women is such a crucial first step towards eradicating global poverty. The finalists’ articles will appear in a colour supplement in the Guardian in November 2008.

Supported by the Department for International Development (DFID), the competition is designed to raise awareness among the general public about the challenges the international community faces in achieving targets like the Millennium Development Goals, which were designed to halve global poverty by 2015.

Camfed is inviting entrants to write about girls’ education and women’s empowerment – which are key goals in the global challenge to reduce poverty and hunger, save children’s lives, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, and ensure environmental sustainability.

Camfed is working with seven other leading charities in the development field to raise the profile of some of the most important international development issues – from HIV/AIDS to water and sanitation. The other charities involved are Marie Stopes International, WaterAid, Malaria Consortium, Sightsavers International, Plan UK, International HIV/AIDS Alliance and HelpAge International.

The competition will involve two separate stages. Entrants to the first phase will be invited to submit a 650-1,000 word article by May 6, 2008. Forty entrants will be shortlisted, and these articles will be posted on the Guardian’s website. During the second phase of the competition, 16 finalists will be chosen to investigate an issue in more detail – including a visit to Africa or Asia to see development work in action. These finalists will get the chance to see their article in print in the Guardian in November.

For more information about the competition, visit Camfed’s dedicated competition page, which is packed with useful resources.

For more information about how to enter the competition, visit the Guardian’s website from Monday, March 10 2008.