Deadline: June 15, 2018
The International Symposium on Communicating Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies to the Public – Youth Competition 2018 is open for entries. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) invites students and early career professionals to submit an innovative concept for a ‘communicators competition’ on how to communicate nuclear or radiological emergencies to the public.
Public communication requires innovative tools and techniques to remain effective. By informing the public about hazards and protective actions and by building and maintaining public trust, public communicators can prevent panic, minimize rumours, and respond to misinformation during nuclear and radiological emergencies.
Are you a student or young professional aged 18-25? Do you have an innovative idea to effectively communicate nuclear & radiological emergencies to the public? If yes, apply now!
Themes
The overall themes that are expected to be discussed at the international symposium are as follows:
- Emergency Preparedness and Response;
- Stakeholder Engagement;
- Public Communication Channels and Tools in Emergencies;
- Social Media;
- Effective Communication;
- Psychology of Communication;
- Coordination of Information;
- Communicating in Different Types of Emergencies;
- “Am I safe?”
- Lessons Learned from Past Emergencies
Benefits
Five finalists will be invited to Vienna, Austria to present their innovative concepts at the International Symposium from 1 to 5 October 2018.
The IAEA will cover travel and daily subsistence allowance.
The five finalists will also make an exclusive visit to the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre and the IAEA Press Office and meet with experts on nuclear emergency communication.
Eligibility
- Open to persons from IAEA Member States
- Students and early career professionals between the ages of 18 and 25 are invited to apply
- Those who are chosen as finalists will be requested to send their identification documents (e.g. copy of passport) to prove eligibility.
- Entries must be in English. However, English proficiency is not the main criteria for winning.
- Only one submission per individual is allowed. Any revision will not be possible after the concept is officially submitted. Please carefully check your concept before submitting.
- Each submission should be free of images, graphics and tables that may violate or infringe upon the copyright of any other person or organization. It is the responsibility of the participants and not of the IAEA to ensure that all contents used in the concept is free from copyright.
- All content must be provided by the applicants themselves, except for quotations from published and unpublished sources which are clearly indicated and acknowledged as such. Any content that can be identified as plagiarism will immediately be disqualified.
Please note that in accordance with the IAEA’s policy, the IAEA encourages women and nationals from developing countries to participate in the competition. We welcome students enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD Degrees, and early career professionals in the government and non-government sectors engaged in crisis communication, strategy, emergency response, social media management, outreach, public and internal communication, first aid organisations, etc.
The working language of the symposium will be in English. All submissions and presentations must be in English.
Application
Each submission should include the following:
- A description of the concept (maximum 1000 words), provided as a PDF file (official submission form available on the symposium webpage at https://www.iaea.org/events/ communicating-nuclear-and-radiological-emergencies-symposium-2018), including:
- Summary – A summary of no more than 100 words of the concept, including the main problem being addressed.
- Explanation – An explanation to detail the concept, for example, the background, what tools will be used, and why it is relevant for communicating in nuclear or radiological emergencies.
- Implementation – How would the concept work in practice? Who would be required to support it? What is the target market?
- A profile – Information about the participant, full name, nationality, date of birth, affiliation (educational institution or company/organization)
For more information, visit IAEA Competition.
