The Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for Dialogue between Cultures (ALF) and the Fondazione Mediterraneo, are launching the third edition of the Euro-Mediterranean Award for Dialogue Between Cultures. This annual award, which is to be bestowed by the 37 ALF National Networks, will recognise the achievements of individuals and organizations that have been at the forefront of promoting Dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Candidates for the Award can be proposed either as an individual or as the representative of an organization, and must bear nationality of one of the member countries of the Euro-Med Partnership, or of its observer countries (Libya and Sudan). As youth is a key priority of the Anna Lindh Foundation, special attention will be given to candidates who have actively worked with young people or in the field of youth.

This year, the selection process has a new shape which enables heads and network members alike to take part in the voting of the winner. This aims at fostering the sense of belonging and commitment of members to the work of the national networks. Also, this will actively mobilize the national networks around a common cause vis-à-vis selection of the winner of the Award. Last but not least, this will give an added value, credibility as well as visibility to the Award.

For the third edition, the selection process will work as follows:

• National Network Members nominate candidates for the Award
• Heads of National Network will prepare a shortlist of 5 finalists based on their achievements of the last 3 years, focusing on a specific piece of work / project submitted.
• The winner’s election will be done via an online voting system by all the national network members.  The candidate that gets the majority of votes within a National Network will be the candidate of that respective Network for the Award.
• Finally, the candidate who is most voted out of the thirty-seven Networks will get the Award.

The Award winner will receive a trophy at a prestigious event, and will participate in at least two Foundation's events, one of which must be organized in a Southern Mediterranean country. Moreover, in the limit of available resources, the Anna Lindh Foundation will create an online virtual gallery (August 2008) with the best pieces of work of winner and finalists. This will have an added value in raising the visibility of the Award, Winner and the Foundation in general.

Art can be used as a key tool for building bridges of dialogue. Art is an invaluable means for exchange and positive contamination between cultures and nations. People's creativity transcends geographical and mental frontiers, offering new opportunities to overcome misunderstandings and interpret conflicts. Indeed, art has proven its efficiency in dialogue between cultures in a number of past and current initiatives in the Euro- Mediterranean region such as the Cross Border Arts Project in the Middle East (Build a Bridge Campaign), several projects granted though the ALF Call for Proposals, or the Biennales of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean. It is also worthwhile mentioning that almost 50 % of ALF National Network members work in the field of art, and that the majority of the actions supported in the framework of the 1001 Actions for Dialogue Campaign have an artistic component.

Therefore, the theme chosen by the Presidency of the Award for the third edition is: Dialogue Through Arts. The particular field of art chosen is visual arts which includes the following disciplines: drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture. These disciplines allow easy transfer of information and proper evaluation through IT technology, and stimulate our perception by shaping images.

For the 2008 edition, the Presidency of the jury is composed of:

• Heads of Network of the following countries: Malta, Cyprus (EU), Tunisia, Palestine, Israel and Syria (Med)
• Executive Director of the Anna Lindh Foundation
• Fondazione Mediterraneo (co-organizer of the Award)

For any further questions concerning the Euro-Med Award, please mailto:
gianluca.solera(AT)bibalex.org and/or rasha.shaaban(AT)bibalex.org