A Cameroonian communication outfit, known as Change Communications (Change Comms) has launched a national competition for the award of prizes in kind and cash to community radio stations which in program contents and programming policy qualify as exemplary in the promotion of democratic values in rural communities across the country.

The competition is organized as part of activities in the implementation of a project based on using community radio to promote democratic values and practices at the grass roots level in Cameroon.

The two year project – Developing Democratic Culture Using Radio in Rural Cameroon, started in February 2013 and is expected to end in January 2015. The implementation is by Change Communications in partnership with the United Nations Democracy Fund, (UNDEF) in New York.

According to a release from the Change Communications office in Yaoundé, community radio stations from all the ten administrative regions of the country which have been working with Change Communications as partners in the project since February 2013 have until 15th October 2014 to submit their entries for the competition. The release indicates that submissions will be assessed on quantitative and qualitative criteria.

By quantitative criteria, competing radio stations are expected to have produced a total of at least 16 democracy-promotion programs (interactive programs, roundtable discussions, radio drama, panel discussions and debates produced and broadcast from June 2013 to October 2014).

The number of programs produced on issues connected to indigenous people, (Baka/Pygmies and Mbororos where applicable) and marginalized groups such as women and the youths will also be considered.

The number of radio program-genres/formats used is part of the package of criteria to be examined by a jury of between 3 to 5 members in each administrative region of the country.

Meanwhile, the professional or qualitative criteria will include the relevance of the topics to the promotion of democratic values, respect of professional norms/techniques in the production of programs, capacity of the journalist in the presentation of the programs, sound quality of programs produced, the profiles of the guests on the program.

Each submitting radio station is equally expected to state in a maximum of three paragraphs, a plan on how the radio station intends to continue to produce and broadcast programs that promote democratic values after the life cycle of the UNDEF-Change Communications Project.

According to the coordinator of Change Communications, CRTV’s Shifu Ngalla, close to seventy community radio stations from across the country are expected to take part in the competition. Submissions are to be deposited with focal persons in the towns of Maroua, Ngaoundere, Bertoua, Mbalmayo, Bafoussam and Bamenda.

The deadline for the submissions of entries has been billed for October ending this year. “A list of ten winners will be published by the first week of November 15, 2014. Winners will take home prizes in cash plus a testimonial,” Shifu disclosed.