Ask Your Grandparents 2

The Institute for Democracy, Media & Culture (IDMC) has announced a call for applications for the second edition of the "Ask Your Grandparents" competition that will take place between September 18 and October 31, 2017. The first competition in 2016 had 7 winners.

This year's competition will focus on events as well as specific objects with a personal story connected to them, to give Albanian high schoolers the possibility to be creative and share personal experiences, family stories, and facilitate the dialogue across generations.

"Grandparent" is obviously symbolic of the generations who spent their lives in Albania during the Communist regime. Stories recounted by older relatives, teachers, or neighbors who have been witnesses of the time can also act as a conduit for creative reflection on the past. The competition therefore gives secondary school students an engaging way to learn about a period they do not know but is emblematic of the country's history to this day.

Young people are invited to submit their projects in audio or video because the Internet is the place where they, the digital generation, spend most of their time. IDMC wants to motivate them to be creative through Digital Storytelling, which combines art and storytelling with a variety of tools such as text, image, graphic, audio, video, music etc.

The aim of the "Ask Your Grandparents" competition is raising the young people and the Albanian society's awareness of the importance of the past, because without knowing it there will be no safe future.

This is the third national competition organized by IDMC, following "Born in the 90s: Explore the Past, Create the Future" (2015) and "Ask Your Grandparents" (2016). "Ask Your Grandparents 2" is a partnership between IDMC and the Albanian History Teachers Association "Youth & History" (ALBNA), and supported by the Ministry of Education and Sports and Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Do your best!

Dr. Jonila Godole
Executive Director of IDMC

Topics

What should be the subject matter of my video?

Competitors will be free to choose the topics they want to work on and the point of view from which they want to reflect about the past. The following provides an initial idea of the topics that could evoke powerful personal stories:

• Objects: documents, coins, personal items, clothes, photographs/album, books, art works, jewelry etc.
• Personal Stories: family stories, everyday life under the dictatorship (life at school, work; food, dressing, behavior etc.), sports and games, cultural life (cinema, theater), love stories, religion etc.
  

Terms of Participation

• The competition is open to all high schoolers aged 15–19 (for individual or group works)
• Competition Category: Multimedia (audio and/or video up to 4 min in length)
• Competition Announcement: 18 September 2017
• Closing Date: 31 October 2017
  

Criteria

• Entries may be submitted in English or Albanian language.
• Each participant may submit only one entry.
• Each entry must clearly relate to the subject matter of the competition.
• Only original work not presented in similar activities will be accepted.
• Entries (audio, video etc.) cannot exceed 4 minutes in length; longer submissions will not be eligible.
• Entries that promote ethnic, gender or sexual discrimination will not be eligible.
• There is no participation fee.
  

Winners of last year's edition of "Ask Your Grandparents" should not participate in this competition.

Submission of entries

Participants who decide to take part in this competition must email  to office@idmc.al the following documents with the subject (AskYourGrandparents _Name_Surname).

• A short CV of the author/authors.
• A copy of the signed application form where the applicants agree with the terms of participation, propose the title of the entry (1 sentence) and a short abstract (max. 1,200 characters, including spaces) how they intend to communicate their idea.
• Entries must be delivered to the IDMC office in two (2) CDs/DVDs at the right capacities or via WeTransfer at office@idmc.al.
  

Delivery Address:

IDMC – Institute for Democracy, Media & Culture

Bardhok Biba St., Trema Bldg.
Entrance A, 11th Floor
Tirana, Albania

Participants will receive a confirmation by e-mail at every stage. For more information, please consult our website www.idmc.al or follow us on Facebook.

Jury and Evaluation

The competition will announce 3 winners for each category (individual and group works) and 1 audience prize.

All entries will be evaluated by an independent jury composed of public figures and experts, based on the following criteria:

• Innovation in presenting the topic
• Understandability
• Creativity and originality
• Ability to attract the audience
• Clear and powerful message
• Authentic style
• Ability to create a project using innovative forms (social media etc.) and simple tools (smartphones, amateur camcorders etc.) in less than 4 minutes
  

Winners will be announced on 23 November 2017 during one of the MEMORY DAYS events and invited to Tirana to collect their prizes in the presence of renowned personalities in the fields of media, civil society, politics and culture.

Competition Organizer

Contact

Matilda Karçanaj | E-mail
Valbona Bezati | E-mail

Partners