Group seeks work by women in radio, video

THE International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) has announced the opening of entries for its 2009 Awards for Excellence in Documentary Making.

The biennial IAWRT Awards celebrate outstanding documentaries made by women and are open to all female producers, directors and journalists working in radio and television anywhere in the world.

Documentaries must be about women who are making a difference, in their own lives or on the lives of other women.

Entries must be between 20 and 90 minutes long for television, or 15-60 minutes for radio, and have been broadcast during the period November 2007 to October 2009.

An international panel will judge the entries, and the winners will be announced at the IAWRT's 33rd biennial conference in Phnom Penh from November 17 to 21.

Entries close October 16, and a cash prize of US$750 will be awarded to the most outstanding documentary in each medium.

IAWRT President Olya Booyar said this year's awards would help to set the scene for the 15th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on equality and opportunity for women.

"The awards provide a unique opportunity to share the accomplishments of women working in broadcasting from around the world," Booyar said.

The most recent awards took place in Nairobi in 2007.

Entry forms and rules and regulations can be downloaded from the IAWRT Web site at www.iawrt.org/awards.