Call for Applications – The Intercultural Achievement Award

We are looking for successful, solution-oriented intercultural and interreligious dialogue projects!

The Intercultural Achievement Award (IAA) is a key project of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. Launched in 2014, it aims at identifying and awarding innovative and best practice projects in the field of intercultural dialogue. This year also marks the 10^th anniversary of the Intercultural Achievement Award.

Since 2007, the Task Force “Dialogue of Cultures” of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs serves as a contact point for and originator of various intercultural and interreligious dialogue activities. The Task Force aims to promote understanding through education and the exchange of information, the rapprochement between different cultures and religions, the strengthening of intercultural and interreligious competences and the inclusion of marginalised groups and religions – nationally as well as internationally. These efforts actively seek to promote peaceful coexistence worldwide.

We encourage you to look into the Best Practise Database, as information on the winning projects of the past years as well as other noteworthy projects in this space is available there.

Topics

Dialogue is a multifaceted concept. Thematic priorities according to the Austrian strategic focus facilitate compatibility of the submitted projects. Therefore, projects applying for the IAA, while promoting intercultural or interreligious dialogue in a broad sense, must also be active in at least one of the following areas:

• Art/Culture
• Youth
• Human Rights
• Global Citizenship Education
• Integration
• Gender Equality

Awards

The Intercultural Achievement Award (IAA) is awarded in the following categories:

• Category Sustainability:                                                                              EUR 10.000,-
  “Best ongoing intercultural and/or interreligious project focusing on the environment”
  The project offers solution approaches in the cross-sectional topic of environment/ecology and intercultural/interreligious challenges. 

• Category Recent Events:                                                                             EUR 6.000,-
  “Best intercultural and/or interreligious project related to a current event”
  The project must have reacted to one or more recent events or developments and have contributed to intercultural and/or interreligious understanding in this context.
  
•  Category Technology:                                                                                 EUR 6.000,-
  “Best application of technology to support an intercultural and/or interreligious project”
  The project must use innovative technological solutions that promote intercultural and/or interreligious dialogue. This can represent the development of new technological solutions or the use of existing technology in creative or innovative ways (including, but not limited to IT).
  
•  Category Innovation:                                                                                   EUR 6.000,-
  “Most innovative intercultural and/or interreligious project”         
  The project must use an innovative methodological or creative approach within the scope of the dialogue of cultures and/or religions.
  
•  Category Media:                                                                                           EUR 6.000,-
  “Best media contribution for intercultural and/or interreligious understanding”
  The project must have affected the public sphere in a positive way in respect to intercultural and/or interreligious dialogue through facilitation of classic media (i. e. print, TV, radio etc.) and/or social media.

The prize money is meant to promote the continuation of successful projects.

General eligibility criteria

• Applications can only be made by non-governmental organisations (including associations, foundations, charitable educational institutions, religious organisations and commercial organisations) whose projects mainly focus on intercultural and interreligious dialogue. Government, science, research or international institutions are excluded from admission.
• Projects that have already been submitted in the past but that have not won may be submitted again.
• Projects may be submitted for up to two award categories as long as they meet the listed eligibility criteria.
• Only fully or at least partially implemented projects that can already show verifiable impact and outcomes will be taken into consideration. Please refrain from sending concepts of projects that have not yet been implemented.

Selection and Award Presentation

Applications received by March 15, 2023 at the latest will be checked for completeness by the task force. An independent jury in Vienna consisting of experts in the field of intercultural dialogue will undertake the final selection of winners. There will be one winner per category.

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on the 10^th of October 2023. The awardees will be invited to attend the ceremony as well as networking events and visits in Vienna. The ceremony will be hybrid, allowing all participants to attend virtually.

Applications:

A detailed application form with guiding questions can be found online here. All questions must be answered in English in a clear and precise manner (clarity), be structured (detail and focus) and should convince the reader of the project purpose and objectives (persuasiveness). If possible, please fill out the word document digitally and refrain from sending us a scan of the printed out application form filled in by hand.

Send your application per e-mail to dialogue(at)bmeia.gv.at.

Deadline: 15 March 2023

The Intercultural Achievement Award is made possible by the kind support of our sponsors: