In this page, you find the description of the Bianca Pomeranzi Prize, its objectives and ways to participate in it.
(Please note that this is an unofficial translation and in case of interpetative doubts, the Italian version will prevail).
Rules and regulations
Purpose
The Bianca Pomeranzi Prize (henceforth PBP, or Prize) aims to facilitate the construction of a living, on-the-ground legacy of Bianca’s work and political engagement with women and for women’s rights in Italy and around the world. It focuses particularly on international cooperation, on the adoption of feminist and gender approaches in the Italian context, and the promotion of policies and programs in favor of women’s empowerment – work which Bianca pioneered. Whether in Italy or in the countries of intervention, Bianca consistently involved women from local associations, feminist movements, universities and institutions in the conception and implementation of the programmes she designed and supported. The source of inspiration of the Bianca Pomeranzi Prize is therefore found in this interweaving of perspectives, dialogues and skills, in their use to care for and transform the world, and in the desire to further it that unites the women and organizations that promote the Prize.
Objectives
The overall objective of the PBP is to contribute to a feminist valorization of knowledge acquired in academic studies in the field of international cooperation, providing practical opportunities to put it at work. Therefore, the Prize intervenes in the transition period between academic studies and the sphere of work, with the aim of facilitating the winner’s employment in an assignment organic to their studies.
More specifically, the PBP intends to promote opportunities for the individuals specified in these Regulations (see ‘Eligibility’) who have successfully completed their Laurea Magistrale with a thesis focused on the role of international governmental, multilateral and/or non-governmental cooperation, including transnational social movements, in the pursuit of one or more of the following objectives:
1. Women’s participation and leadership in the political, social, economic, cultural and/or environmental domain, and in the pursuit of peace and justice;
2. Promotion and defense of women’s human rights, including sexual and reproductive rights;
3. Eradicating gender-based violence.
In this way, the Prize will also contribute to the achievement of gender equality, which is one of the key goals of Agenda 2030 (Goal 5) and of the Italian development cooperation (see Law 125/2014).
Endowment
The PBP consists of an internship at a relevant organization in the sector, through which the winner will be able to employ and acquire experience and skills useful for starting or strengthening their professional career in international cooperation from a feminist and gender perspective.
For the first edition, the three-month internship will take place at Oxfam Italy/Gender Justice Area, and it will benefit from a salary contribution.
For the future editions of the Prize – the implementation, cadence and modalities of which will be gradually defined – it is expected that the internship will take place on a rotating basis at other organizations participating in and supporting the Prize.
Eligibility
The PBP is open to people of any nationality who successfully complete a Laurea Magistrale in Scienze per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (LM81) at an Italian university, with a dissertation focused on one or more of the three themes defined in the ‘Objectives’ section of these Rules and Regulations.
For the first edition, individuals who graduated with a dissertation discussed between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024 will be eligible. In exceptional cases, and at the unquestionable discretion of the Comitato Scientifico (Scientific Committee) of the Prize, dissertations defended in previous sessions may be considered, based on exceptional circumstances that the person directly concerned must point out and justify in an additional motivation letter to be attached to their application. For this first edition, dissertations may be exclusively submitted in either Italian or English language.
Applications
Individuals who meet the above requirements and wish to participate in the PBP should fill out the form found on this page[1] by May 3, 2024.
The form (via Google Drive) requires the submission of the following data:
● Personal data (first name, last name, email);
● Data on the degree obtained (degree program, university, year of study, graduation session, score obtained);
● Dissertation (title, abstract, and upload of the dissertation in Word or PDF format);
● Statements of dissertation originality, ownership of rights, and acceptance of the Prize Rules and Regulations;
● Place and date of completion of the form.
The application implies acceptance to the processing of these data, including the dissertation itself, for the realization and publicization of the Prize. The latter will take place through the website and social channels (ex. Facebook, Instagram, etc.) of the Prize and of the participating organizations and individuals, as well as through press, radio, and other similar communication channels.
Evaluation
After the application deadline, the Scientific Committee will meet to evaluate the applications received mainly based on the following criteria:
1. Correspondence of the dissertations to the themes of the Prize;
2. Approach and methodology;
3. Form.
The above criteria may vary from year to year, taking into account lessons learned, national and/or international priorities, and other factors.
Dissertations will be scored on a scale of 0 to 100. The Scientific Committee’s evaluation is final.
At the conclusion of the evaluation of the applications, and ideally within two months of the deadline for their submission, the Prize coordinator will make contact with the person whose dissertation received the highest score to discuss the terms of the internship.
Should the designated person not be available to carry it out, the Prize coordinator will proceed to contact the person ranked second, and so on, until the identification of the person who, with their acceptance of the internship, will be proclaimed the winner of the Bianca Pomeranzi Prize. Acceptance of the Award also implies participation in the Prize ceremony (see below).
Prize ceremony
The announcement of the winner the PBP will take place at a public ceremony to which the people and organizations promoting and sponsoring the initiative will be invited to attend.
The ceremony may be filmed, recorded, and documented in various ways (audio, video, photos, etc.) and publicized through various channels (ex., PBP website and social channels; press, television, etc.). By participating in the ceremony, the winner gives their consent to such collection and disclosure of their personal data in any format and channel decided by the people and organizations participating in the Prize.
Acceptance and consent
Participation in the PBP implies acceptance of these Rules and Regulations, which may change over time, while maintaining its purposes.
The personal data of the persons who will submit their candidacy to the Prize, as well as of the winner of the Prize, will be processed in compliance with the most recent legislation on the collection and processing of personal data Legislative Decree 101/2019 implementing the European Reg. EC 679/2016 (so-called GDPR). The processing of these data is aimed at the management of the Prize and its publicization. The provision of the data indicated in the ‘Applications’ section of these Rules and Regulations, and consent to their processing, are necessary conditions for the participation in the PBP.
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For further information:
premiobiancapomeranzi@gmail.com
[1] https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_d9Pq2pwddKgw7p0II2-4HL0B4jkFYLIK-zOaValerE/edit?pli=1