The Five College Women’s Studies Research Center invites Applications and Nominations for 2012-2013 Research Associateships

Founded in 1991, the Five College Women’s Studies Research Center basically focuses on scholarly activity of issues relating to women and gender. Based in Massachusetts, the center is supported by the Five College consortium of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The five institutions have a thirty-five year history of cooperation and innovation in higher education and boast one of the largest concentrations of women’s studies scholars anywhere in the world.

The Center’s main purpose is to encourage engaged, critical feminist scholarship from diverse perspectives. To this end, it hosts up to fifteen scholars and activists each year for three to eight months. Research associates have come from thirty countries. While at the Center they have access to Five College archival and other library resources and have various opportunities to present their work to a broad activist and scholarly community. The Center is committed to ensuring that visiting scholars include some who have international interests and backgrounds and some who will study and engage in community activism. It also seeks to create a forum in which women’s studies faculty from the five institutions can present and discuss their work and interact with associates through faculty seminars, workshops and conferences.

Call for Proposals

In this context, as part of a year-long focus on examining the field of gender studies and the impact of new media on research, teaching, and activism within global perspectives, the center invites proposals for projects that may include, but are not limited to, exploring the impact of new media on: access and rights; uses of technology and surveillance; transnational encounters; inter-sectionality; and sustainability, broadly defined. Other topics might include visual literacy and cultural expression; public spheres and cyberspace; digital technology in academic research and practice, including new forms of archival inquiry.

About the Associateship

Each year, ten to twelve scholars, teachers, artists, writers, and activists from the United States and abroad are provided with offices in the spacious facility, library privileges, and participation in a faculty seminar with a diverse community of colleagues in gender studies. The Center supports projects on this year’s theme in all disciplines that focus centrally on women or gender. During the period of appointment, Associates are expected to be in residence in the Five College area, to attend weekly seminars, to give two public presentations, and to collaborate with colleagues based at one or more of the Five College institutions. Pending approval, modest travel funds will be available and applicants with demonstrated need may also be considered for complimentary housing in a studio apartment at the Center.

Last date for submission of applications is February 6, 2012

For more information, visit this link.

Women’s Link Worldwide invites Nominations for the Gender Justice Uncovered Awards

Women’s Link Worldwide is currently inviting nominations for the Gender Justice Uncovered Awards that aim to underline the decisions given by the court, affecting the gender equity positively or negatively. People from across the world are invited to nominate their cases and propose statements or decisions made by judges, prosecutors, public defenders, public representatives, members of United Nations committees, or magistrates affecting the gender equity.

More About the Gender Justice Uncovered Awards

Gender Justice Uncovered Awards were started by the international non-profit Women’s Link Worldwide to highlight the fact that in every country, regardless of its political system, culture or religion, what judges and courts say has a tremendous influence on the sense of justice and in the day to day lives of people.

The awards highlight decisions or statements made in writing, in English or Spanish, by judges, courts, committees, administrative bodies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, ombudsman officers, UN Committees, asylum boards or any other actor within a legal case, which have a positive or negative impact on gender equality, including those related to sexual and reproductive rights, gender violence and gender discrimination.

The three most sexist decisions will receive bronze, silver and gold Bludgeons; and the three decisions that best promote gender equality will receive bronze, silver and gold Gavels. The People’s Choice Award will be granted to the case with the highest rating based on the votes by the public.

Some of the nominated cases will be added to Women’s Link Worldwide’s Gender Justice Observatory, which contains judicial decisions from around the world on issues related to gender and that can be accessed for free through the website.

The People’s Choice Award

Not only the jury can choose the winning decision. Women’s Link has created the category “People’s Choice Award” for those decisions that obtain the most votes via the website, including a bludgeon and gavel award. The polls will be open to the public from November 15, 2011 until May 31, 2012 to determine the winners.

About Women’s Link Worldwide

Women’s Link Worldwide was founded in 2001 and has regional offices in Europe (Madrid, Spain) and Latin America (Bogotá, Colombia). Women’s Link has 501(c)(3) status in the United States, foundation status in Spain and is legally recognized as a foreign non-profit organization in Colombia. Women’s Link Worldwide is working to ensure that gender equality is a reality around the world. With this objective in mind, the organization strives to advance women’s rights through the implementation of international human rights standards and strategic work with the courts, including strategic litigation.

Last date for submitting the nominations is April 30, 2012.
For more information, visit this link.

Video Documentary Competition on Transnational Organized Crime and Corruption

The Associazione Ilaria Alpi, FLARE Network, and Novaja Gazeta are currently inviting applications for the competition for production of two investigative journalistic video documentaries on the issues of transnational organised crime and corruption. The organizers, through this competition, aim to promote the circulation of information about organised crime and to encourage and support journalists’ initiatives to analyse a phenomenon which now has international significance and deep local roots.

Award Provisions

The two finalists receive a € 2.000 fund each. The final winner will receive an additional € 2.000 prize.

Suggested Topics

Some of the relevant issues for the video inquiry may include, but are not limited to: corruption, fraud, cyber-crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking (women, children, men, organs), environmental crimes, money laundering, smuggling, energy policies, sport match-fixing, illicit calls for tenders.

Terms and Conditions

• Priority will be given to projects which address an issue with a transnational approach (e.g. national phenomena characterized by components from other countries). There are no geographical limits. Participants are free to propose projects in any geographical area of the world.
• Authors need to be minimum two and have to be from at least two different countries.
• The narrative method of the investigation is at the author’s discretion (documentary, narration, interviews, historical reports, animation, etc.)
• Projects must be designed to produce videos of a duration between 5 and 25 minutes (maximum length) in formats such as minidv, dvcam, dv, hd, hdv. Priority will be given to projects which last between 15 and 25 minutes.
• The documentary will remain the property of the author(s), but the organisers reserve the right to transmit it across their own sites and the sites of third party assignees. Narration or subtitles in the English language is obligatory and must also include in the wording “Best International Organised Crime Report – With the contribution of FLARE Network, Novaja Gazeta and Ilaria Alpi Television Journalism Award”.
• The Jury, composed by representatives of the organisers and the authors of the winner of the BIOCR 2011 will select two projects which will be allocated € 2,000 each. The judges’ decision is final and the allocation of the financial award mandates the production of the project (with a non-payment penalty provision) which must be completed by May 18, 2012. The amount will be allocated in two instalments: the first at the appointment of the four successful projects (March 1st, 2012) and the second one at the presentation of the project (June 2012).
• The documentaries will be presented in preview to the public at the Premio Giornalistico Televisivo Ilaria Alpi (June 2012) whereby the best of the two investigations will be awarded the title of “Best International Organised Crime Report” and an additional prize of € 2.000. Winners may also be interested in transmission on national television and satellite: specific agreements will be determined separately.

Last date for submitting the applications is December 30, 2011.
For more information, visit this link.

BergHind Joseph invites Entries for Photographic Competition 2011 focussed on Leadership

BergHind Joseph is currently inviting entries for Photographic Competition 2011. BergHind Joseph is a creative communications agency which works to offer its clients the creative solutions that have longevity and that help build a stronger reputation for the company. BergHind Joseph’s operations include branding, employee engagement, stakeholder communications, corporate websites, events and research-led consultancy.

This year’s competition offers some fantastic prizes. Not only will those shortlisted have their work exhibited in an exclusive London exhibition, but those placed in the top three will be awarded with:

1st prize: £500 of photography vouchers and your choice of:

• A day with a professional photographer
• A day’s free consulting with BergHind Joseph – the creative communications agency
• A year of portfolio mentoring sessions with the creative team of BergHind Joseph

2nd prize: £250 of photography vouchers

3rd prize: £100 of photography vouchers

Theme of the Competition

The theme of the competition is “Leadership”. Photographs should be taken in the context of how you interpret the theme ‘Leadership’. Yet categories for the final submittal of photographs should be labelled under one of the following areas:

• Motivation
• Collaboration
• Promotion
• Achievement
• Initiative
• Decisiveness
• Engagement
• Inspiration

General Rules

• A maximum of 4 photos, in either black & white or colour can be entered per competitor.
• Photographs submitted may be minimally digitally enhanced to remove spots or scratches, but cannot be manipulated. Entrants can enhance the picture to make it brighter, clearer etc. but not manipulate the content. The judging panel reserve the right to exclude an image they believe may have been excessively treated so as to alter its authenticity.
• The participant can submit their photographs by one email which must be in jpg/gif/png format with the email not exceeding 10 Megabytes. The participant can also submit their photographs by post.
• Each registered participant will be able to submit up to a maximum of 4 photographs.
• The promoter disclaims any liability for any access problem, impediment, non-functioning or difficulties that might occur and impede the user from accessing the service because of technical problems related to the internet connection.
• The promoter also disclaims any liability for a failure in the postal system which may result in any entry being lost or delayed. Proof of sending is not proof of receipt.
• All photographs, before being published, will be checked in order to assess that they comply with the rules, that they are not immoral, vulgar, unlawful or offensive. Any participant who submits photographs of such nature will be liable for the content and of the nature of the same.
• If, after receipt or publication, the promoter receives notice that any of the photographs infringe, in any way, any third party right, that photograph will be immediately excluded from the contest.
• Participants submitting their photograph for publication accept full responsibility concerning the content, nature, quality, lawfulness and truthfulness of the photograph. The promoter disclaims all liability in this regard.
• By participants submitting their photograph they are confirming they are the creator and sole owner of the image.

Last date for submitting the entries is December 16, 2011.
For more information, visit this link.