2008 European poster competition

AIM OF THE COMPETITION

Guaranteeing and making the “rights of the child” more well-known, in particular that of protection, the prerogative not only of all children, but also adolescent citizens or residents of the European Union, are objectives jointly held by the European Union and its member states. Indeed, saying ‘I have the right of protection!” and subsequently being heard, is a daily battle for a young person and the affirmation of a fundamental European value. This is why the European Union is offering young people the opportunity, in this competition, to work in teams on the theme of their right to protection in the European Union, to make them more conscious of this right, so they are in a better position to defend it.
COMPETITION REGULATION
Article 1: Competition theme

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security is organising a European poster creation competition entitled “Children’s right to protection”. The poster must illustrate the theme of the protection of children and adolescents in the European Union.

In UK, the coordination of the competition at national level will be the responsibility of the European Commission Representation Office,
with logistics being handled in cooperation with:

Open Youth
Daniel Vankov

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Article 2: Who can take part?

All young people residing in the 27 Member States of the European Union may take part, in age groups: 10-14 and 15-18.
Article 3: How to enter?

Candidates are required to form teams of at least four young people and one adult who will be responsible for the team throughout the project, including travel to awards ceremonies. There is no maximum limit for the number of young people per team. Nevertheless, it is strongly recommended that the supervising adults form several teams (if possible of four) rather than one large group. In this way each participant feels active and benefits more from the experience. In this case, a registration form needs to be filled in for each team, but only one adult may be responsible for several teams.

The registration form must be filled in and sent on line. Although there is no deadline for this, it is recommended that the supervising adults do this at the earliest opportunity, so they can receive new information important for the competition.

The poster and submission form must be signed, sealed and delivered in person to the premises of the national coordinator for logistical reasons Global Voice UK (e2000) no later than Friday 31 October 2008. If the poster and form cannot be delivered in person, it is strongly recommended that they be sent to the national coordinator via an express mail service no later than Wednesday 29 October 2008, to ensure their arrival at Global Voice UK (e2000) no later than 31 October 2008. The date of arrival counts, not the sending date.

Participants must keep a copy of the documents they send.
Article 4: What is to be produced?

Participants are required to create a poster illustrating the idea of the right of children and adolescents to protection within the European Union.

The following rules apply:

    * poster format: A2 paper (42X59 cm). The poster must not be folded, as it may be used in the future (a tube or large piece of card must be used for delivery);
    * the descriptive form for the work submitted must be enclosed.

NB: Each team can design and hand in several posters if they so wish.
Article 5: Copyright

The final work must be produced for the sole purpose of the competition. It may be created from material elements (images, texts, etc.) produced by teams specifically for the competition, or by combining or making use of elements which already exist and which are free of copyright. In the latter case, the person responsible for the team must ensure that this condition is met.

Participants shall be entirely responsible for their works and shall agree to transfer the works as well as the distribution and reproduction rights to the European Commission at no charge. The European Commission shall therefore be entitled to use, reproduce, adapt, publish and distribute the works at its entire discretion. The works will not be returned.
Article 6: Selection of winners and awards at national level

The works will be selected by a jury made up of several people, for example, a representative of the Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security or the European Commission Representation Office, a representative of a national ministry such as Justice, Education, European Affairs or Youth, a communications expert, a graphic artist, an illustrator, a young person actively involved in a youth organisation, etc.

The winners will be selected according to the following criteria: appropriateness of the message given the objective; graphic quality; clarity of the message; and originality of the work.

In each country, all teams taking part will be able to attend an awards ceremony in the capital city on Thursday 20 November 2008 (International Day for the Rights of the Child).

Travel and accommodation will be provided for five members (four young people and one accompanying adult) of the three winning teams from each of the two age groups, i.e. 10-14 and 15-18 years of age.

The posters of the national winners will be displayed on the website of the European Commission in the Member State concerned and on the website of the Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security.
Article 7: Selection of winners and awards at European level

The works that win the national prizes will be judged a second time by a jury made up of representatives from the European Commission and other people, such as a teacher, communications expert, graphic artist, illustrator, young person actively involved in a youth organisation, etc.

The three winning teams in each age category, i.e. six teams in total, will then be invited for a trip to Brussels from Sunday 7 to Tuesday 9 December 2008 to discover all the city has to offer, including the European institutions, and to attend the awards ceremony chaired by Commissioner Jacques Barrot, Vice-President of the European Commission.

For each of these six teams, travel and accommodation will be provided for five members (four young people and one accompanying adult).
The posters of the European winners may be used for future European campaigns on children’s right to protection.
Article 8: Responsibility

Organisers cannot be held responsible for the cancellation, postponement or modification of the competition due to unforeseen circumstances, nor can they be held responsible for any theft, loss, delay or damage during the transport of posters. Furthermore, the dates mentioned in Articles 3, 6 and 7 may be changed due to organisational reasons or unforeseen circumstances. In such cases, the participants shall be advised as soon as possible (hence the need to register as soon as possible).
Article 9: Acceptance of the rules

Participation in the competition shall imply full acceptance of these rules.

Article 10: Data protection