“The Journalism Prize “Communities”, which we now resume, has the triple purpose of enhancing a deeper knowledge on the Azorean culture overseas, through journalist production, recognising the journey and the challenges of the future of Azorean communities in the world; promoting the respect for difference in the Azores, the respect for immigrants as well as for the values of multiculturality, thus contributing to the full integration of immigrant communities in the Azorean society; and providing a contribution to a wider dissemination of today’s Azores abroad.”

The Regional Secretary of the Presidency spoke at the presentation of the Journalism Prize “Communities” held in Ponta Delgada on Thursday, emphasising the new format that was devised for this award.
For André Bradford, the “makeover” of the Journalism Prize “Communities,” which was exclusively addressed at journalistic works that focused on immigration issues, took into account the concern   to “widen its scope,” and now it includes areas such “emigration and Azorean community,” thus “assuring the participation of journalists from our diaspora communities.”

The government official, who oversees the area of communities, considers that the “Azores need to project their image abroad by encouraging the production of journalistic works,” and that effort can be undertaken through initiatives that call for “the potential of journalists and their social responsibility as intermediary media agents among the Azorean communities spread throughout the world.”

The Secretary of the Presidency considers that the Journalism Prize “Communities” may play very important role in “updating the Azores’ image, “reducing the knowledge deficit about the modern Azores, which are far more developed,” where their multiethnic and diversified reality is a worldwide example thanks to the work that has been developed on the theme of migration.”

André Bradford concluded by stressing that the Regional Government’s initiative “is an approach to continue the fight against several prejudices related to the integration of emigrant communities and immigrants.”

The Journalism Prize “Communities” comprises three categories: “Azores Emigrant”; “Azores Immigrant”; and “Azorean Communities. The first two categories are respectively addressed at the journalists residing in Portugal in the field of press (written and digital), radio, television and photojournalism; the “Azorean Communities” category is addressed at the journalists from Azorean communities residing in Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, USA, Hawaii and Uruguay in the field of press (written and digital), radio, television and photojournalism.

For the “Azores Emigrant” category, the works should focus on the theme of “Emigration and Azorean Communities, promoting the integration of Azorean emigrants in the respective host communities as well as contributing to a better understanding of this phenomenon.”

While in the “Azores Immigrant” category, the works must “focus on issues related to “Immigration and Immigrant Communities in the Azores, promoting the integration of immigrants in the Autonomous Region of the Azores and contributing to a better understanding of this phenomenon.”

In turn, the works submitted under the “Azorean Communities” category should be “published or disseminated in the media bodies of their respective countries,” and the themes should address issues related to Emigration and the Azorean Communities, the integration of emigrants in the respective host communities and the Autonomous Region of the Azores.”

All works eligible for the Journalism Prize “Communities” should be published and disseminated in the media between January 1 and October 31, 2011. The works should be submitted until November 11. The rules and application form are available on the Portal of the Government of the Azores at: www.azores.gov.pt.