The third cycle of “Be a citizen journalist” competition is in progress. CIVIL – Center for Freedom continues to reward citizen journalists and motivates them to get activated.

Everyone with a smartphone, camera or camcorder of any kind, can be a citizen journalist and with their video, audio and photo materials can participate in the Project “Be a citizen journalist”. The recordings, photos and texts do not have to be highly professional, as the information itself is the crucial criteria. The materials that citizens can send can be in relation to various types of abuse of power, threats, discrimination, bribery, abuse of public resources and other irregularities.

Until now, ten awards have been given to citizen journalists for the January and February cycle.

Some of those who were rewarded, through their own experience, have invited other citizens to take part in the competition. They have called for fear to be conquered and for Macedonia to be kept as a more normal country for future generations.

The materials you will be sending must be accompanied with contact details of the author, description of the time, place, course of event and participants in the event. The authors, as well as the persons included in the materials may remain anonymous, depending on the agreement made with the author and the legislation regulating this type of production and publishing.

Every month, the five most successful materials will be rewarded with vouchers for the purchase of photo/video, computer and telephone equipment. The highest monthly prize is a voucher equivalent to 110 USD.

The overall objective of the “Civic Lenses” Project is to raise awareness on political processes related to the forthcoming elections and to alarm the domestic and international public on fraudulent practices in the electoral context, and to identify cases of violations of the voting right.

The Project is supported by the Foundation National Endowment for Democracy.