Corruption Fighters Awarded on Anti-Corruption Day
On December 9, 2008, ACTION held the National Essay Contest 2008 Awards Ceremony «Corruption in Higher Educational Institutions» and the Second National Contest for the Best Journalistic Investigation Awards Ceremony to commemorate International Anti-Corruption Day.
2008 National Essay Contest. The World Bank in Ukraine and Promoting Active Citizen Engagement (ACTION) in Combating Corruption in Ukraine project announced the winners of the National Essay Contest 2008 “Corruption in Higher Educational Institutions” midday on December 9th.
This contest aimed to raise awareness among young people on the negative influence of corruption. Participants of the contest were between 15 to 25 years old and expressed their opinions and shared views on the impact of corruption on the level of imparted knowledge, quality and value of education.
The Contest Jury, comprised of representatives of the World Bank, ACTION, UNDP, and other public and private entities, reviewed 104 essays, and selected 14 winners representing different regions of Ukraine.
The World Bank and ACTION joined together to confer prizes to the winners, which were complimented by special awards from UNDP, MTÑ-Ukraine, Yalta European Strategy, PRT Communications Group and Klitschko Brothers Foundation. The newspaper “Day” published the best works.
Anton Drobovyy, one of the winners of the contest, posited that all-permeating corruption causes education to lose its value – it is transformed into a social institute occupied with handing out diplomas, a veritable educational supermarket. The popularity of the contest and the exceptional level of awareness exhibited by its participants arouse hope that making a stand against corruption will become more appealing to students.
National Contest on Best Journalistic Investigation. On the evening of December 9, 2008, in the conference hall of Radisson SAS was the setting for theawards ceremonyfor the Second National Contest on the Best Journalistic Investigation.
The Second National Contest on the Best Journalistic Investigation and Anti-Corruption Publication in Ukraine was held this year to further the ACTION project’s commitment to popularize investigative journalism. The First Contest was held in 2007 and received high marks from Ukrainian journalists.
This year the ceremony was attended by Hryhoriy Nemyria, Vice-Prime minister of Ukraine, Valeriy Putiato, representative of the Presidential Secretariat of Ukraine, representatives from various ministries, diplomatic missions, international projects, as well as colleagues – journalists from numerous media outlets. The popularity of the contest supports the notion that corruption remains a pressing problem not only for journalists but for those people who are capable of affecting the status of corruption in Ukraine.
Over 600 works were submitted for review by the Contest’s jury. A majority of them – 405 works – were submitted by members of regional media outlets. The jury, comprised of leading Ukrainian journalists, media specialists and experts in countering corruption selected winners in five nominations. The Contest was held in two stages – on the regional and national levels.
Juhani Grossmann, Chief of Party, ACTION Project in his closing remarks noted: “Thirteen glimmers of hope in the fight against corruption were awarded here today, who are part of a growing movement of Ukrainians unwilling to tolerate the situation any longer. They are active in all spheres of public life and quietly chip away at corruption’s grip on society. They explain to children the perilous impact of corruption on their lives in Lviv, simplify licensing procedures Mykolayiv, ridicule corrupt officials in Kolomoiya, save historical heritage in Luhansk, expose government procurement fraud in Kyiv and land theft in Crimea, and advise thousands of citizens throughout the country on how to help themselves. It is an honor for our project to be a small part of this movement.”
The winners in four nominations are:
· “Best journalistic investigation on countering corruption in regional print and Internet press in Ukraine”: 1stplace – Oleksandr Kulyk, Poltava, “Poltavska dumka-2000”; 2nd place – Oleg Peretyaka, Luhansk, “Vashe Zdorovya”; 3d place – Anastasiya Mazur, Sumy, “Panorama”.
· “Best journalistic investigation on countering corruption in national print and Internet press in Ukraine”: 1st place – Yuriy Patykivsky, Kyiv, ”Ukrayina Moloda”; 2nd place – Oleg Lystopad, Kyiv, “Selianska Pravda”, “Dzerkalo Tyzhnia”; 3d place – Petro Skorobagatsky, “Vecherniye Vesti”
· “Best journalistic investigation on countering corruption in national TV and radio programs in Ukraine”: 1st place – Safarov Azad Amrah ogly, 5th channel; 2nd place – Roman Bochkala, Ê-1; 3d place – Pyschyk Volodymyr, ÓÐ-1
· “Best journalistic investigation on countering corruption in regional TV and radio programs in Ukraine ”; 1st place – Martin Roman, ²À Rivne; 2nd place – Olena Zorya, Melitopol “ÌTV-PLUS”; 3d place – Nataliya Grekova, Dnipropetrovsk, “Resonance –ÒV”
· Thegrand prize was awarded to Nataliya Chornovil of the media holding “Îbozrevatel” for her publication “Shock: In Koncha-Zaspa Traffic Patrol Stopped Ministers”.
The award-winning essays of the 2008 contest and the prize publications of the Second National Contest on the Best Journalistic Investigation can be found at .
Information about ACTION Project
Promoting Active Citizen Engagement (ACTION) in Combating Corruption in Ukraine Project implemented by the Management Systems International with the Support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The Project is a two-year activity that supports non-governmental monitoring and advocacy on priority areas in combating corruption, focusing particularly on issues identified by the Government of Ukraine in its Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Threshold Country Plan.
