Producing the right message and sharing it with the public using the relevant channels is among the most important challenges for the management of nuclear and radiological emergencies. For the International Symposium on Communicating Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies to the Public (CNREP) taking place this year, the IAEA is looking to encourage the inclusion of youth into the global discussion on public communication when such emergencies occur.

Students and early career professionals between the ages of 18 and 25 are invited to submit an innovative concept for a ‘communicators competition’ on how to communicate nuclear or radiological emergencies to the public.

Public communication requires innovative tools and techniques to remain effective. By informing the public about hazards and protective actions and by building and maintaining public trust, public communicators can prevent panic, minimize rumours, and respond to misinformation during nuclear and radiological emergencies.

Themes

The overall themes that are expected to be discussed at the international symposium are as follows:

• Emergency Preparedness and Response;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Public Communication Channels and Tools in Emergencies;
• Social Media;
• Effective Communication;
• Psychology of Communication;
• Coordination of Information;
• Communicating in Different Types of Emergencies;
• “Am I safe?”

• Lessons Learned from Past Emergencies.

Benefits

• Five finalists will be invited to Vienna, Austria to present their innovative concepts at the International Symposium from 1 to 5 October 2018.
• The IAEA will cover travel and daily subsistence allowance.
• The five finalists will also make an exclusive visit to the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre and the IAEA Press Office and meet with experts on nuclear emergency communication.

Eligibility

• The competition is open to nationals of IAEA Member States.
• Applicants must be between 18-25 years old on date of submission of concept. Those who are chosen as finalists will be requested to send their identification documents (e.g. copy of passport) to prove eligibility.
• Entries must be in English. However, English proficiency is not the main criteria for winning.
• Only one submission per individual is allowed. Any revision will not be possible after the concept is officially submitted. Please carefully check your concept before submitting
• Each submission should be free of images, graphics and tables that may violate or infringe upon the copyright of any other person or organization. It is the responsibility of the participants and not of the IAEA to ensure that all contents used in the concept is free from copyright.
• All content must be provided by the applicants themselves, except for quotations from published and unpublished sources which are clearly indicated and acknowledged as such. Any content that can be identified as plagiarism will immediately be disqualified.
• By submitting the concept summary, participants agree to assign to the IAEA the copyright to publish the presentation on the IAEA website, social media and other platforms and certify that no other rights have been granted which could conflict with the right hereby given to the IAEA .
• Please note that in accordance with the IAEA’s policy, the IAEA encourages women and nationals from developing countries to participate in the competition. We welcome students enrolled in Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD Degrees, and early career professionals in the government and non-government sectors engaged in crisis communication, strategy, emergency response, social media management, outreach, public and internal communication, first aid organisations, etc.

Application Process

Each submission should include the following:

- (a) A description of the concept (maximum 1000 words), provided as a PDF file (official submission form available on the symposium webpage at https://www.iaea.org/events/ communicating-nuclear-and-radiological-emergencies-symposium-2018), including:

• Summary – A summary of no more than 100 words of the concept, including the main problem being addressed.
• Explanation – An explanation to detail the concept, for example, the background, what tools will be used, and why it is relevant for communicating in nuclear or radiological emergencies.
• Implementation – How would the concept work in practice? Who would be required to support it? What is the target market?

- (b) A profile - Information about the participant, full name, nationality, date of birth, affiliation (educational institution or company/organization)

- Submissions for the competition should be sent to the following e-mail address: CNREP.[email protected]. The subject line of the e-mail should be: #CNREP2018 Competition + [Full Name].

Application Deadline: June 16th, 2018 (4:59 A.M GMT+7)

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