The EU Neighbours South project is launching a #EU4YOUth #InTheirEyes competition and is partnering with online influencers to raise awareness of EU-led actions and initiatives and to highlight opportunities offered through EU-funded projects for young people in South Neighbourhood countries. The competition will be rolled out in 8 countries: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.

In each country, two digital influencers (active on either Facebook, Instagram or YouTube) will be selected and will go on to meet beneficiaries of projects funded by the European Union. It is through their original stories and/or videos that the general public will discover the real impact of the actions of the EU on the lives of young people and local communities in different areas: education, entrepreneurship, environment, arts and culture, tourism, etc. In a light and creative tone, they will take a natural look at the success stories of those who have benefited from different projects in their respective countries.

The selected influencers will receive a three-day training course, given in Tunis by international experts specialised in audiovisual production and mobi journalism. Conducted in collaboration with the Open Media Hub project, this session will guide the applicants in how to produce informative, engaging and relevant stories and/or videos. They will be able to choose the best angle to tell the stories of successful young recipients, in a format adapted to digital platforms. 

Candidates will then be asked to produce stories/videos and broadcast them online on their own social networks. These stories/videos will also be relayed on the various online communication channels of the EU delegations in the South countries, the EU Neighbours South  project and through the relevant projects. 

In Brussels, the #EU4YOUth #InTheirEyes competition will reward the five best stories/videos produced in the eight countries as follows: the most unusual, the most touching, the most likeable, the funniest and the jury’s favourite. Among the members of the jury are senior representatives of the European Commission as well as EU Delegations in South countries, Youth Ambassadors of the European Union in Eastern European countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine) as well as international media representatives. 

All participants in this competition will attend the awards ceremony which will take place in June 2020 in Belgium. There will be a winner per country and five winners at regional level will be awarded valuable prizes in addition to the honorary title of EU Goodwill Ambassadors. The two celebrities Yara and Douzi, ambassadors of the # EU4YOUth regional campaign, will join this prestigious ceremony and present Etoile d'or (Golden Star) trophies to all participants. A passing of the torch, in an atmosphere of glamour, art and sharing that showcases the talents of young people and demonstrates their commitment to their communities.

Contact
EU Neighbours South 
EU Neighbours South Facebook page
EU Neighbours South on Instagram
intheireyes@euneighbours.eu 

FAQ

If you have a question that is not listed here, please contact us at: InTheirEyes@euneighbours.eu 

How can I enter the #EU4YOUth #InTheirEyes competition?
To submit your application, you are invited to produce a pitch in the form of a video or story of 90 seconds or less through which you will allow us to get to know you better. The video, or the link of the video must be sent on this email adress: InTheirEyes@euneighbours.eu
As part of your pitch, you will provide answers to questions such as: 

• What is your name/nickname? What is your favourite social network?
• What motivated you to get involved in this initiative?
• What is your area of influence and what kind of posts do you produce for social networks?
• Do you have a special interest in the success stories in your community?
• What is the impact of your activities and how many fans/followers do you have?
• The pitch or a link to the pitch must be sent to: InTheirEyes@euneighbours.eu

What is the deadline?
The deadline for the pitch submission is the 15 January 2020.

What do you win?
Firstly, the honorary title "YOUNG GOODWILL AMBASSADOR FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION", which will give you a privileged position with the European Commission in Brussels and the EU Delegation in your country. 
In Brussels you will have the additional and special privilege of being received by high-ranking representatives and you will also have the opportunity to visit agencies in charge of projects and programmes that work in the interests of young people in your country and also in other South neighbourhood countries.
The best productions in each country will entitle the winners to the Etoile d'Or (Golden Star) trophy and MEDIA-MARKET or FNAC (?) gift vouchers to the value of €2,500. Five winners from across the region will receive vouchers of: €4000, €3000, €2500, €2000 and €1000, not forgetting that valuable GoPro kits will be given out to all participants during the training course ! 

What are the selection criteria for Instagrammers/Youtubers?
The selection criteria are:

• Proven professional skills of the Instagrammer or Youtuber.
• Strong style of the video/story submission in terms of degree of relevance to stories and creativity in production.
• Degree of professionalism, popularity on social networks: number of fans and/or followers and audience engagement.
• Innovative approach in terms of technical skills and/or response to the topic;
• Potential impact on the target audience and the general public;
• The efficiency and credibility of the production schedule;
• The clarity and quality of the overall proposal;
• Broadcast plan and appropriate transmission.

What do you mean by "impact"?
Impact means that your subject must have a concrete and tangible or objective motivation, for example to explain and illustrate an important issue, or to sensitise public opinion on facts that are not very well known. Impact also implies that your production reaches an important audience and simultaneously affects this audience in some kind of way, for example, by increasing their knowledge or by pointing to new possibilities for action.

What do you mean by "broadcast"?
Broadcast means that, once approved by OPEN South, your productions must be published on one or more social networks that reach a wide audience in your country. In general, the bigger the audience, the better. The publication could also include promotion (advertisements). 

What do you mean by "innovative approach"?
We consider a subject to be innovative if it adopts a new, unusual, and attractive approach to production on the subject it addresses, or on the narrative presentation of this subject. Where appropriate, design, editing, sound, or graphics may also play a role. However, please do not focus on innovation as an end in itself - a good topic and an interesting story are more important!

Do I hold a copyright on the final production and can I sell it?
You will be a co-producer of your productions along with OPEN South and the EU. We will jointly own this copyright and will be able to grant the right of use or publication to third parties.

Am I obliged to publicly integrate the hashtags #EU4YOUth #InTheirEyes in my production?
We believe that all online influencers should be transparent about their participation in the Competition, especially when the backer is an international organisation or from another interest group, so that the public can judge the credibility of the subject on its own initiative. Although the European Union will not exert any influence on the content of productions financed by OPEN South, and although it is looking for digital content rather than marketing communication, it is a governmental entity and also deserves recognition for the financial support it provides this Competition. 

What will OPEN South and the European Union do with my productions?
We will share your production on OPEN South and EU websites including those of any other projects involved in your productions, in order to increase its audience and spread knowledge about your country to the rest of Europe and the world. OPEN South and the European Commission will be co-producers, and therefore co-owners of the copyright for the unlimited use of the productions as a whole or in part.

Can I get support other than for the cost of my productions from OPEN South?
Yes. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of everything that OPEN South is offering, which includes information sessions, tutorials and tips that will be organised by OPEN South. 

What are the technical requirements for videos and/or stories?
The technical specifications will be set out in the production support agreement. You can of course edit your images using your preferred choice of software provided that images are edited at full maximum quality within your editing sequence. We recommend Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. However the master copy of the subject must be delivered in the following formats:

• Photos (Instagram Stories): 1080X1920 pixels

Instagram Video Stories:

• Min. width of the video: 500 pixels
• Preferred video format: 1080X1920 pixels
• Acceptable video formats: 9:16 and 16:9 to 4:5
• Video file size: max. 4 GB
• Portrait or landscape: portrait
• Length: 1 - 60 seconds
• Videos must be saved in one of the following formats: MOV, GIF or MP4

Facebook Video Stories

• Min. width of the video: 500 pixels
• Preferred video format: 1080X1920 pixels
• Acceptable video formats: 9:16 and 16:9 to 4:5
• Video file size: max. 4 GB
• Portrait or landscape: portrait
• Length: 1 - 15 seconds
• Videos must be saved in one of the following formats: MOV, GIF or MP4

YouTube Videos

• Preferred video format: 1920X1080 pixels

Please ensure that the videos and stories do not contain any type of logo. 

Why do I have to fill out a risk assessment form?
We believe that it is important not to put your life and the lives of others at risk when covering a topic(s) and we ask you to identify any potential risks that you may encounter during production. The risks and risk mitigation measures in the proposed model are indicative in nature and should be adapted to your situation.

What is the maximum amount offered for travel and accommodation expenses?
Travel expenses for necessary production outside of the city where you are based will be covered by OPEN South based on the distance to be travelled in kilometres and also whether hotel accommodation is necessary, but there is no maximum percentage.

We want to apply as a team of online influencers, how should we structure our proposal?
Please assign someone as an applicant, who will also sign the contract, and clearly describe the rest of the team in your application.

When are applicants informed of the decisions made on their productions?
Each production will be sent to OPEN South prior to being posted on your social networks. Approval will be given within approximately 5 calendar days. You can then publish the video and/or story on your social networks and OPEN South will then take care of relaying it on its own channels.

How can I be sure that my proposal has been received?
All applicants will receive a confirmation email which will read as follows: “Thank you for submitting your project. Following the application deadline, each candidate will be notified by email with regard to approval for publication.” If you have not received a confirmation email, please send an email to InTheirEyes@euneighbours.eu