UNESCO Prize for Digital Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

Brief Description:

The world hosts over one billion persons with disabilities worldwide. Their existence is hampered by insufficient legal frameworks to protect their rights and a lack of financial and human resources to perform their activities related to basic needs. Likewise, they also have a lack of opportunities to have access to information and knowledge, as well as the benefits of scientific and technological development.

Therefore, the UNESCO/Emir Jaber Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Prize for Digital Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, which is awarded every two years, recognizes the exceptional contributions of individuals and organizations in promoting the inclusion; and improving the lives of persons with disabilities through the application of digital solutions, resources, and technologies.

Moreover, the Prize has also direct thematic relationships with other UNESCO’s Major Programmes. The application for the Prize is open now.

Details:

Submission period: 16 June 2020 to 2 September 2020

Awarding institution: UNESCO 

The Prize information

It will be given biennially in 2020/2021. The Prize will be split equally to:

·        An Individual Person; and

·        An Organization.

These awards are for persons and organizations and are not for projects or programs. However, successful individuals and organizations will usually have undertaken a series of relevant projects and programs that will contribute to their accomplishments. Still, it is the whole personal or organizational contribution that will be evaluated.

value/inclusions:

The total value of the prize is US$ 40,000, which will be distributed equally between the individual and the organizational winner.

UNESCO will feature the Prize winners and will attempt to work with them to boost and promote their sustained activities in the field of the digital empowerment of persons with disabilities.

Thematic axes:

The Prize is focused on three important thematic axes in UNESCO’s work with persons with disabilities, including a swift response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

·        Articulating policy, advocacy, collaboration, and partnerships;

·        Generating and developing digital solutions, enabling environments and processes, including instruments and resources;

·        Building and fostering the capacities of people to create, conform, and use digital solutions in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.

Eligibility & Criteria:

·        Individuals (applying either separately, or representing a group of people) or organizations (an institution, NGO, or other public or private entity) are eligible applicants.

·        Individuals and organizations applying for the Prize must have been active in the area for at least five years, and have firm results from their efforts and activities.

·        Previous awardees of this prize or the same prize for Promoting Quality Education for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities are not eligible to apply.

·        Anyone else who submitted an application to earlier editions of these prizes is eligible to submit a new application.

·        Members of staff of UNESCO, as well as current and previous Jurors for this Prize cannot apply.

·        Only one application may be submitted by any person, or by an organization, considered to include all of its parts.

·        If multiple entities within a single organization wish to apply, the Head of that organization should select and authorize only one such application to be submitted on behalf of the organization.

·        All applications must be submitted in the English or French languages and on the application form specified. The preferred mode of submission is by electronic means, but if this is not possible, then postal applications and nominations are also acceptable.

Respect for procedures:

Any nomination not submitted in accordance with the procedures specified in Section below and Statutes of the Prize will be excluded.

Assessment:

The Director-General of UNESCO will select the winners based on the evaluations and recommendations made by a Jury.

Important dates:

National endorsement (by national commission): 15 September 2020

In order to participate, all applications must be endorsed by the Government of a Member State in consultation with their National Commissions for UNESCO and relevant non-governmental organizations in official partnerships with UNESCO.

Jury assessment: September- October 2020:

When the submission is in compliance with the guidelines for submissions, and the written recommendation is submitted, the application of the nominee is evaluated by an independent Jury of 5 experts on several specific criteria.

Announcement: November 2020

UNESCO will declare the names of the winners in a press conference and communicate the decision to the winners and other candidates.

Award ceremony: 3 December 2020

On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the winners (individual and organization) will receive the prize, which consists of a monetary prize of USD 20,000 each and a diploma. In the ceremony, the Prize-winner(s) will deliver, if possible, a lecture on a subject relevant to the work for which the Prize has been presented.

Dissemination: January-December 2021

Application instructions:

The application for the Prize is online. UNESCO invites individuals and organizations to submit their application through the “Individual Application” and “Organization Application” options available on the application portal. Read the application guidelines here.

Note: UNESCO particularly encourages applications from persons with disabilities throughout the world.

Deadline: September 2, 2020