Exploring Citizenship in Bhutan's New Democracy

 Democracy Day celebrates the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social, and cultural systems, and their full participation in all aspects of life. The vibrancy and stability of a democratic society can be gauged in large part by the participation of its citizens in public life.

To commemorate Bhutan’s gift of democracy, the Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy is hosting a challenge on the theme of “citizenship”. In Bhutan’s new democracy, where individuals have historically been regarded as subjects, what does it mean to be a citizen? The roles and responsibilities of Bhutan’s general populace, while legally protected, are still being experimented with.

• Show us what being a citizen means to you!
• Participants can express their views in one of the following two ways:
• Visually, through photography or video;
• Textually, through a non-fictional essay or a fictional story

The top three entries from each category will receive the following cash prizes

Visual

• First: Nu.10,000
• Second: Nu.7,500
• Third: Nu.5,000

Text

• • First: Nu.10,000
  • Second: Nu.7,500
  • Third: Nu.5,000

Top 10 entries from each category will also receive a certificate of participation.

Judging Criteria

Judging for the competition is based on a numeric system. The members of the committee are asked to evaluate each entry in terms of the following:

• Does it address issues related citizenship?
• How creative or creatively developed is the entry?
• How socially significant is the piece?
• Is the entry organized? Does it show great care and attention to detail?

 Rules 

 All participants are limited to strictly one entry TOTAL

Video

• Participants are encouraged to submit a short synopsis with the video.
• All entries must be sent in .avi, .mpeg, .wmv or .mov format.
• The length of the video should not exceed 10 minutes.

Entries should be original and the person participating should have full authority/ownership over the submitted piece.

Photograph

• Photographs should be accompanied by a caption.
• All entries must be sent in .jpeg/jpg format.
• Entries should at least have a resolution of 1280 x 720 or better.
• Entries should be original and the person participating should have full authority/ownership over the submitted piece.

Text

• Essays and stories should not exceed 1,000 words.
• Entries should be original, unpublished, and written by one person.

Send in your entries to:

Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy,

Thimphu, Bhutan,

P.O Box, 1662

OR

Email your entries at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All entries must be received by 10am, Monday, September 12, 2011.

Winners of the challenge will be contacted and awarded their respective prizes during the International Day of Democracy’s (September 15) celebration at the National Council of Bhutan’s Secretariat.

For further inquiries, please call Chewang Tobgay at 327903 or 17771516.