The African Network for Strategic Communication in Health and Development (AfriComNet), is calling for nominations for its Award for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Communication in Africa. AfriComNet is an association of health and development practitioners that reside, work, or have a primary interest in Africa.

The purpose of the AfriComNet Award is to:

• recognise outstanding contributions made by individuals/organisations in the field of strategic HIV/AIDS communication.
• encourage innovation and the highest standards of quality in strategic communication in Africa.
• enhance appreciation of strategic communication as a necessary tool for health and development.
• attract outstanding individuals and organisations in Africa to advanced careers in strategic communication.
• highlight programmes, tools, and productions that advance the state-of-the-art in strategic communication and can be adapted and applied elsewhere.

The awards are divided into five categories and AfriComNet will give one award per category for outstanding initiatives, campaigns, productions, and tools that advance the field of strategic communication and can be evaluated, adapted, and applied elsewhere. The five award categories are:

• Best mass media strategy, campaign, or tool.
• Best community/interpersonal strategy, campaign, or tool.
• Best folk media strategy, campaign, or tool.
• Best social marketing strategy, campaign, or tool.
• Best multi-channel strategy, campaign, or tool.

The nominated strategic communication initiatives and productions will be judged according to the following criteria:

• The strategy, campaign, or tool should have made significant contribution to innovating, strengthening, and popularising strategic communication as a necessary tool for health and development.
• The nominee should be an African citizen or have worked in Africa for a period of more than two years, and the initiative or production must have been implemented in Africa.
• If a creative team is behind the communication initiative, at least one member of the team should be an African citizen.
• The initiative should have demonstrated success in communities, workplaces, and organisations, meaning it has contributed to behaviour change, better understanding of health, and improved well-being of the selected audience.
• There should be measurable outcomes to show success of the strategic communication tools used to achieve improved well-being of the community.
• Communication interventions must have followed a strategic communication process, including formative research and evaluation.

Deadline for nominations is March 31 2008.

Click here to download the nomination form in MS Word format. Forms can also be requested by email from AfriComNet secretariat information desk: infodesk@africomnet.org

To nominate strategic communication programmes, campaigns, or productions, the following procedure should be followed:

• Any person or organisation can nominate an individual or organisation for an award band must complete a nomination form to help with consistency in the judging process.
• On the form, the nominator must describe his or her association with the nominated initiative or production.
• The nomination must include a description of the initiative or production and any documented effects.
• The nomination will include the names and contact information for two referees who are familiar with the nominee's work.

Nomination Guidelines:

1. Each entry requires a separate nomination form.
2. A product or campaign nominated for this award in a previous year does not qualify. However, if the product is a regularly released series (e.g., radio, TV, or print column), and was nominated in a previous year, new material produced from 1st Jan 2007 to date, may be nominated for this year's award.
3. All submitted materials will remain the property of AfriComNet.
4. AfriComNet reserves the right to disseminate, reproduce, or publish any entry without payment for the purpose of sharing a particular innovative communication tool.
5. Participation in this competition will be deemed to constitute full and unconditional acceptance of its terms and conditions.
6. No responsibility is taken for entries lost, delayed, misdirected, or incomplete due to server functions, virus, bugs, post delays, or any other cause outside AfriComNet's control.
7. The competition will be judged by an assigned selection panel and the judges' decision is final, no negotiation will be entered into.
8. Contact with any judges or AfriComNet staff for the purpose of securing favor for a nominee may subject that nominee to disqualification.
9. One prize will be awarded for each of the five categories.
10. Winners from each category will be contacted to let them know that their initiative is being considered for an AfriComNet Award. AfriComNet will meet the costs of one representative to travel to the selected venue where the annual award ceremony event will take place.
11. Announcement of the AfriComNet Annual winners will be made at a presentation dinner to be held in Kampala, Uganda in June 2008 (date to be determined).

Click here to read about previous winners.