2009 CASA AFRICA Essay Prizes

Casa África announces the 2009 CASA ÁFRICA Prizes for essays on African topics, whose aim is to recognize, encourage and disseminate original and unpublished essays which enhance knowledge about Hispano-African relations with respect to the two contexts or issues indicated in rule number 4: Economic Relations between Sub-Saharan Africa and Spain, and Democratic Consolidation in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Jury will evaluate the quality and current relevance of the papers as well as their contribution towards improving knowledge of each of these subject matters.

Competition Rules

One
All natural persons who are citizens of any EU country and/or any African country are eligible for either of the prizes. However, in no case may same maintain a working and/or professional relationship with Casa África, nor with any of its associated institutions (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Canary Islands Government, Councils of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and Municipal Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria).

Two
Each essay shall be signed with the author’s name and surnames, address, contact telephone and photocopy of National Identity Document or Passport. If signed with a pseudonym a separate closed envelope must be supplied, containing the author’s name and surnames and the aforementioned information. That envelope will only be opened if the corresponding original wins a prize.
Applicants are required to provide that information in a form which can be downloaded from the Casa África website. Said form may also be submitted by fax, email or normal mail along with the essay or, if a pseudonym is used, in an accompanying closed envelope.

Three
1. The essay must count no less than 15,000 words and no more than 20,000. It can therefore be no less than 40 or more than 50 pages long, typed double-space in Word Arial 12 format on only one side of size DINA 4 paper, and must indicate which of the two prize options it is a candidate for.

2. The application form and four copies of the essay must be sent before 31 October 2009 to Casa África, Calle Alfonso XIII, no. 5 – C.P. 35003 – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SPAIN. The envelope should bear the reference indication “2009 CASA AFRICA PRIZE”. They may also be submitted by email to the address [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> .

3. The applicant authorizes and cedes all his/her rights to Casa África so that the latter may produce a first edition of up to 1,000 copies of the prize-winning papers and enable free access to same by means of the Casa África website. The prize-winners will under no circumstance receive any additional amount per this first edition besides that of the prize itself.

Four
Content:
1. Casa África Prize for selected essay on economic relations between Sub-Saharan Africa and Spain.
Given the broad scope of this topic a number of concepts of special interest are suggested:
§ Impact of the economic crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa
§ Remittances and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa
§ Promotion of investment and commercial relations between Spain and Sub-Saharan Africa
§ Economic Association Agreements between the EU and Sub-Saharan Africa
§ Business cooperation and economic growth
§ Analysis of means to internationalize Spanish enterprise in Sub-Saharan Africa

2. Casa África Prize for selected essay on democratic consolidation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A number of possible contexts to develop this topic are likewise suggested:
§ Governability
§ Strengthening public institutions
§ Democratic participation and civil society
§ Weak states or situations of weakness
§ Constitutionalism processes in Africa
§ Democracy in Africa after five decades of independence
§ The role of the AU and regional initiatives on governance in Africa
§ European influence in progress toward democracy: support or interference

Five
1. Each of the selected works shall be awarded a prize of 4,000 euros; the jury will make its decision unanimously or otherwise by majority vote. Should any of the prize-winners be African nationals, the prize will be subject to withholding and taxes as stipulated by Spanish law.

2. The jury is comprised of reputed African and Spanish experts. Its composition will not be made public until after the prizes are announced. The decision shall be approved by majority and ratified by the Casa África Delegate Committee. Said ruling shall be final and the jury may declare one or both prizes to be void.

3. The jury shall submit its proposal to Casa África before 20 December 2009 and Casa África shall publicly announce the prize decisions before 15 January 2010.

Six
The author who submits his/her essay within the established deadline pledges not to withdraw the original before Casa África makes the jury decision public.

Seven
The papers which do not receive prizes may be collected at Casa África during the two months following announcement of the final decision. After that time the papers which have not been so returned may be destroyed.

Eight
Submission of the application form for the prizes implies acceptance of the rules contained in this announcement, as well as acceptance of the Casa África decisions with respect to same, which shall be final. The required application form must be submitted in order for the essay to be evaluated. To access and download said document, please go to www.casafrica.es