The South and East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from South East and Central Europe and an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is pleased to announce the winner of the 2010 Dr. Erhard Busek-SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe.
After careful deliberation, the international 11-member jury chose veteran journalist and editor Omer Karabeg, in recognition of his continuous and outstanding contribution to better communication, exchange and cooperation in South East Europe, and especially in the West Balkan region. The jury based its decision on the integrity and personal dedication of Omer Karabeg in carrying out his work.
Omer Karabeg, born on 14 September 1940 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, lives in Prague, in the Czech Republic, and is a journalist with the Radio Free Europe, (RFE/RL) South Slavic and Albanian Language Service program. He is also the founder and editor of the weekly RFE / RL radio show “The Bridge”.
“The Bridge” is a weekly program launched in 1994 during the war in former Yugoslavia which since its inception has helped foster dialogue between distinguished public persons from different countries in the region, and has tackled highly controversial issues. The most interesting discussions from “The Bridge” have been published in three books.
During his career, Omer Karabeg has received many awards for his work as a journalist, including the Jug Grizelj prize for promoting friendship and overcoming barriers between people in the region (2001), the award and first prize for editors and producers from the Serbian Union of Journalists for his organization and direction of reporting on the overthrow of Communist rule in Romania (1991), and the prize for best TV news at the festival of Yugoslav Radio and Television (1979 and 1989).
During the Milosevic regime he was blacklisted in 1992 as a ‘traitor-journalist’. The list was broadcast on prime-time news by then state-controlled TV Belgrade.
Presentation of the Dr. Erhard Busek SEEMO Award for Better Understanding to Omer Karabeg, Vienna, 15 October 2010 Speech: “Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends and colleagues, I am greatly honoured with this prestigious award. I am also very proud that I won this award in recognition of my contribution to the better understanding, exchange and cooperation in South East Europe, especially in the West Balkan region… read more”
The Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding is sponsored at a value of 3000 EUR by Dr. Erhard Busek, Jean Monnet Professor ad personam, President of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, Coordinator of SECI – Southeast European Cooperative Initiative, former Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, and President of the European Forum Alpbach.
In 2002, the jury honoured the Croatian journalist, Denis Latin, with the award. In 2003, it was presented to Kemal Kurspahic, former editor-in-chief of the Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje. Brankica Petkovic, Head of the Center for Media Policy at the Peace Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia, was the recipient of the 2005 award. Danko Plevnik, international relations columnist for the Croatian daily Slobodna Dalmacija in Split, was the winner of the 2006 award. Milena Dimitrova, commentator for the Bulgarian daily newspaper Trud in Sofia, was the winner in 2007, Brankica Stankovic, editor for TV B92 in Belgrade, Serbia was the winner in 2008, and Boris Bergant the co-founder of the broadcasting project Alpe Adria and former EBU deputy president was last year’s winner.
The eighth Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe will be presented on Friday, 15 October 2010, by Dr. Erhard Busek and by Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General, at Haus der Musik, Seilerstätte 30, Vienna, Austria. To attend the event, please contact: info@seemo.org
Call for 2010 ‘Dr. Erhard Busek SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe’
The Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South, Eastern and Central Europe honours journalists, editors, media executives, media experts, writers and journalism trainers in South East Europe who have contributed to promoting better understanding in the region and who have worked towards ending minority-related problems, ethnic divisions, racism, xenophobia, gender discrimination, homophobia etc. The award is sponsored by Busek, who is also former vice-chancellor of Austria, Jean Monet Professor ad personam, president of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, coordinator of the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI), and former special coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. revious winners of the award include: 2011: Drago Hedl, (Croatia) journalist, Zagreb-based daily Jutarnji List. 2010: Omer Karabeg (Bosnia and Herzegovina), journalist, South Slavic and Albanian Language Service program of Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL), founder and editor of the radio program Most (Bridge), Prague, Czech Republic. 2009: Boris Bergant (Slovenia), co-founder of the Alpe Adria broadcasting project, former deputy-president of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and former deputy director of Radio Television Slovenia. 2008: Brankica Stankovic (Serbia), author of the TV program Insajder, produced by B92 Television, Belgrade, Serbia. 2007: Milena Dimitrova (Bulgaria), columnist, Sofia-based daily Trud, Bulgaria. 2006: Danko Plevnik (Croatia), columnist, Split-based daily Slobodna Dalmacija, 2005: Brankica Petkovic (Slovenia), head of the Center for Media Policy, Peace Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 2003: Kemal Kurspahic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), former editor-in-chief of the Sarajevo-based daily Oslobodjenje. 2002: Denis Latin (Croatia) author of the TV program Latinica, Croatian Radio Television (HRT)
Last week for Nominations for 2012 Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South, Eastern and Central Europe
The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is pleased to announce the 2010 Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe. Sponsored by Dr. Erhard Busek – Jean Monet Professor ad personam, President of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe, Coordinator of the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI), Former Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and President of the European Forum Alpbach – the EUR 3,000 award will be presented to a journalist, editor, media executive, media expert, writer or journalism trainer in South Eastern Europe, who has promoted better understanding amongst peoples in the region and worked towards ending minority-related problems, ethnic division, racism, xenophobia, or who has helped in any other form to foster understanding in South East Europe.
In 2002, the international SEEMO jury chose Croatian journalist Denis Latin as the recipient of the 2002 Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe, in recognition of his outstanding contribution towards better understanding in South Eastern Europe through his TV show Latinica. In 2003, the award was presented to Kemal Kurspahic, former editor-in-chief of the Sarajevo daily Oslobodjenje. The 2005 award was given to Brankica Petkovic, Head of the Center for Media Policy at the Peace Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In 2006, the Croatian journalist Danko Plevnik, international relations columnist for the Split-based dailySlobodna Dalmacija, was the recipient of the award. The Bulgarian investigative journalist Milena Dimitrova received the award in 2007. In 2008, the SEEMO jury chose Brankica Stankovic, editor for RTV B92 in Belgrade, who has addressed in her TV show The Insider (Insajder) important issues that have been either concealed or sidelined by the Serbian authorities. In 2009 the award was given to Boris Bergant, co-founder of the Alpe Adria broadcasting project, former European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Deputy-President and former Deputy Director of Radio-TV Slovenia, for his integrity and personal dedication in carrying out his work in the region.
If you know of anyone who would be a worthy recipient of the Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO 2010 Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe, please send by regular post or email to SEEMO:
1. A letter of nomination with basic details about the candidate and reasons why you would nominate the person for this award. 2. A Curriculum Vitae of the candidate.
3. Relevant supporting material (e.g. a summary of the manifestations of the candidate’s merits; details of the media which published / broadcast the reports etc).
4. Your contact information (name, address, mobile phone, phone, fax, email). 5. Contact information for the candidate (name, address, phone, fax, email).
If you would like to nominate a media outlet or an organisation/institution, please always provide details of its representative, as the award can be presented to individuals only.
If your nomination is supported by an organisation/media outlet, please send us the name and contacts of the person from the organisation/media supporting your nomination. If your nomination is supported by another individual or individuals, please send us their details and contact information.
Please send us all possible additional materials about the nominated person (TV reports on DVD, audio reports on CD, copies of articles in print media) by regular post to our Vienna office. Reports in local languages should be, if possible, accompanied by a brief English translation. Unfortunately, supporting material cannot be returned, so please always send copies of the original materials.
The nominated person must come from, or work in, the SEEMO region. SEEMO is active in Europe in the following territories: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, Republic of Macedonia / FYROM, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.
The International Jury will be composed of distinguished journalists and media experts. Please note that members of the jury cannot be nominated for the award. Also self-nominations are not acceptable.
Please send your nomination and supporting documents to:
SEEMO/IPI Busek Award 2009 Spiegelgasse 2/29, 1010 Vienna, Austria Tel: +43 1 513 39 40 Fax: +43 1 512 90 15 E-mail: info@seemo.org
The deadline for applications for the 2010 Dr. Erhard Busek – SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe is: 15 May 2010. All materials sent by post must arrive in the SEEMO office by 25 May 2010.
The award will be presented on 15 October 2010 in Vienna, Austria. The winner will be invited to the presentation and his/her travel expenses will be covered. SEEMO will announce the winner in an official press release, and also on its website