The International Charitable Foundation “Alliance for Public Health” invites the journalists of national and regional mass media to take part in the All-Ukrainian contest on the actual drug policy mainstreaming in Ukraine. The application can be submitted by the authors who have published (or broadcasted) their texts/stories from January 1st to November 13th, 2020.

This event aims to raise public awareness and informedness of modern methods of drug abuse prevention and treatment, in particular to emphasize the expansion of substitution maintenance therapy network, increase access to the state program on HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis for drug addicts.

Besides, the competition should help to reform Ukraine’s repressive drug policy and decriminalize drug addicts. This is important to show by the example of developed countries, where the work of the law enforcement system is focused on combating organized drug trafficking.

The competent jury will determine one winner in the categories of “Television and Radio”, “Printed Press”, “Online Press”, “Blogging”. The authors of the best materials will receive diplomas and financial incentives. The winner in each category will receive a cash prize of UAH 5,000. The competition also provides for individual awards, for example, for a series of materials or the creation of a special project on the theme of the competition.

Requirements for competitive works:

  • Materials can be prepared in any language of national minorities with a translation into Ukrainian or Russian.
  • Publications should focus on Ukrainian realities and world best practices, demonstrate the real state of affairs and offer solutions to the problems of drug addicts.
  • Preference will be given to publications that focus on expanding access to SMT and promoting the decriminalization of drug addicts with a focus on combating the organized drug trafficking by the law enforcement system, raising issues of stigma and discrimination.
  • Also, publications may include the issue of adolescent drug addiction and the rapid change of the drug scene from opioid drugs to synthetic psychotropic substances, the lack of appropriate government rehabilitation programs.
  • Texts provided by the media representatives must be original and free of plagiarism.
  • To participate in the contest, you must enter information about the posted material in the registration form at the link: https://forms.gle/QxAmGd6KSpup8vxZA

The deadline for submission of materials is November 13th, 2020 (6 p.m).

The winners of the competition will be chosen by an independent jury, which will include representatives of the ICF “Alliance for Public Health”, partner organizations, winners of past competitions.

The best materials will be published on the information resources of the ICF “Alliance for Public Health”, so when submitting an application for the competition, the authors automatically allow such publications.

All-Ukrainian competition for the media “Drug policy of Ukraine in the age of coronavirus: problems and solutions” is part of the projects “The Partnership to Inspire, Transform and Connect the HIV response” (PITCH) and “Accelerating progress in reducing the burden of tuberculosis and HIV infection by providing universal access to timely and quality diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, expanding evidence-based prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV, creating viable and stable health systems” (implemented with the support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria).