ETP Slovakia is on the list of finalists of ERSTE Foundation Award

Nine projects from Slovakia shortlisted for the ERSTE Foundation Award for Social Integration 2011; the Roma Media Center is among them

Vienna, 16 March (RPA/TS) – Nine projects from Slovakia are on the list of finalists for the ERSTE Foundation Award for Social Integration 2011. Out of a total of 1850 registered projects from 12 countries, 133 made it onto the short list. The selection of finalists for the ERSTE Foundation Award for Social Integration 2011 was a great deal more demanding than in the past two years. Non-profit organizations from 12 Central and Southeastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia) submitted a total of 1850 projects during the call for applications, from 1 October to 15 December 2010.

A total of 133 projects satisfied the demanding and rigorous process of evaluation by 24 independent members of the selection committee and advanced to the final phase of evaluation. Nine of the 106 projects submitted from Slovakia made it to the final phase. One of the nominees is the Roma Media Center (MECEM) with its Roma Press Agency project.

During the period 15 March-30 April a team of ERSTE Foundation experts will travel through all 12 countries, visiting the shortlisted projects and completing their evaluations directly on site. After completion of this evaluation, all 133 projects will then be presented to an international Jury, which will select the 30 winning projects. An award ceremony will take place in Prague on 20 June 2011. The 30 winners will divide prizes worth 610,000 euro. All of the organizations on the shortlist of finalists will benefit in the form of support with promoting media relations. The ERSTE Foundation will finance this support over the course of two years and will offer professional PR consultation. All finalists will have the opportunity to take part in professional seminars focused on the development of social enterprises as an alternative way of financing, building relations with the media, obtaining qualification in the area of social media and will be added to the international database of the ERSTE Foundation – Social Integration Network.

The ERSTE Foundation originated in 2003 on the foundations of the first Austrian savings bank Erste Oesterreichische Spar-Casse. The ERSTE Foundation currently owns a 25.3% of the proprietary shares of the Erste Group.