As part of the European Union – Central Asia Sustainable Energy Days campaign, the European Union (EU) funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” is announcing the regional (Central Asia) media contest “Energy transition for a better tomorrow”. Journalists are invited to submit their materials on the following topics: sustainable energy, renewables, energy efficiency, gender equality in the energy sector, STEM education for girls, green/sustainable building practice, EU–Central Asia sustainable energy cooperation, EU–Central Asia research cooperation under Horizon Europe Programme’s Cluster “Climate, Energy, and Mobility” published in print or online media or aired/broadcast on TV/radio in the period from 15 April 2024 to 14 May 2025.

The European Union (EU) is a global leader on green transition and climate action.  The EU countries are committed to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Energy transition brings profound socio-economic and ecological effects.

In line with the EU Strategy for Central Asia and the “Team Europe” initiative on water, energy, and climate change in Central Asia, developed under the Global Gateway strategy, and by building upon the region’s potential in solar, wind and hydroelectric energy, the EU supports the five Central Asia (CA) countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – in their energy transition efforts towards modern, safe, and sustainable energy systems, while contributing to the global fight against climate change.

The EU fosters the CA countries energy resilience through sharing its best available technologies and expertise in renewables, energy efficiency, green/sustainable building technologies, etc. The EU also acknowledges the importance of ensuring inclusive and gender-responsive energy policies and makes sure that its efforts in promoting sustainable energy address gender equality issues, foster women empowerment, reduce inequalities, promote girls’ education in STEM and their future employment in the energy sector.

The purpose of this media contest is to boost public awareness for transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the Planet, to raise awareness on sustainable energy development, including scaling up renewables, improving energy efficiency, as well as raising awareness on the benefits of the transition into more sustainable and gender-responsive energy systems.

As a result of the media contest, 3 winners will be selected. The winners will receive cash prizes:

• The first-place winner will receive EUR 3,000
• The second-place winner will receive EUR 2,000
• The third-place winner will receive EUR 1,000.

Deadline for submission of application: 14 May 2025 (23:59 UTC+5). Late applications will not be considered.  Journalists from regional and local print and online media, TV/radio stations are welcome to apply.

The Contest Rules

To participate in the contest, the applicants should meet the following criteria:

• Be a citizen of one of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan).
• Age: at least 18 years old.
• The languages of the contest materials – Russian, English, or Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek with the translation into Russian or English. An unofficial translation is accepted.
• An eligible entrant must be an individual. Entrants must be the authors and copyright owners of the material submitted in their name. The contest material should be an original piece of work and not a translation or adaptation of another journalist’s work.
• The materials of individual authors on the above-mentioned topics published in print or electronic media or aired/broadcast on TV/radio within the last 12 months and up to the deadline – that is during the period from 15 April 2024 to 14 May 2025, in the amount of no more than 3 materials from one applicant are accepted for participation in the contest.
• The authors of all the submitted materials shall withhold the rights to their work. By submitting their materials, authors grant the EU-funded SECCA project the right to use them for non-commercial purposes, always crediting the authors and media outlets. Any commercial use shall require the agreement of the author and media outlet.

To take part in the contest, an applicant shall fill out the application form (find below) and attach to it the contest materials (article, feature story, interview, TV/radio story/programme) with indication of hyperlinks to the materials, and in case of a print media attach a scanned PDF copy with the name of the media outlet, date, and number of the issue. The application and all attached materials shall be sent to the e-mail address:  media@secca.eu.

The Evaluation Committee will be established to evaluate the journalistic contest materials. The Evaluation Committee shall include representatives of the Cooperation and/or Political, Press and Information Sections of the EU Delegations to Central Asian countries, as well as the SECCA project management team.

The main evaluation criteria are the following:

• dedication to the contest topic(s);
• the level of research that has gone into the article;
• professional level of presenting the material, style of presentation;
• creativity and/or originality to tell the article.

The contest results shall be announced at the end of May-early June 2025 on the SECCA project website (https://secca.eu) and official social media pages of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Kazakhstan and those of the SECCA project, as well as at a session to be co-organised by SECCA as part of the Astana International Forum.

Additional Information:

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 European countries. It is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. It acts globally to promote sustainable development of societies, environment and economies, so that everyone can benefit.

The EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)” (from March 2022 to March 2026) aims to promote a sustainable energy mix in the Central Asia region in line with EU best practices. To fulfil its mission, SECCA strives to provide for strengthened and more inclusive policy, regulatory and institutional framework for the transition to a sustainable energy system, within a regional context, and focuses on contributing to the fulfilment of international human rights commitments in CA countries, including equal access to energy, and supporting gender inclusive policies and legislation for energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE). The project activities include capacity development for EE and RE deployment, awareness raising on EE and RE, and improving investment climate for EE and RE projects.

The European Union – Central Asia Sustainable Energy Days campaign is organised yearly in the countries of Central Asia by the EU-funded project “Sustainable Energy Connectivity in Central Asia (SECCA)”. Its purpose is to enhance the awareness of national stakeholders and the public in the region of Central Asia on the significance, benefits and accessibility of sustainable energy and the interlinkage between energy and climate change. The EU-CA Sustainable Energy Days campaign represents a global edition of EU Sustainable Energy Week, the largest annual event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe, initiated in 2007 by the European Commission.