SozialMarie is a prize for social innovation supporting and acknowledging 15 projects every year. According to the prize's criteria, the awarded initiatives not only find novel solutions to pressing social challenges, but their exemplary activity is transferable to other areas. For the first time, the jury's decision was announced in a virtual award ceremony, with an unlimited international public. Two Hungarian projects close to Blinken OSA are among the winners!
3rd Prize: Print it Yourself! / Run by the eDemokrácia Műhely Egyesület, the initiative Print it Yourself! was nominated in the category "Awareness raising, Community development." In their introduction, the project owners claim that "[r]eviving the Samizdat tradition of Eastern Europe, Nyomtass Te is! (Print it Yourself!) is a weekly summary of the most important news from independent media in simple, accessible language printed on a half-fold A/4 paper. The mini-newspaper can be downloaded from our website for anyone to print and distribute in any quantity." According to the jury's remarks, "The Hungarian government currently controls more than three-quarters of all TV, radio, and print media in the country. This particularly impacts voting outcomes in rural communities. Nyomtass Te is! provides communities with non-governmental media and information with an innovative and simple approach. As a result, independent journalism and online news are accessible to the communities and political discourses of rural Hungary."
Prizes: (F)Actually / Launched by the Történelemtanárok Egylete, (F)Actually – A Myth Busting Website About History was nominated in the category "Non-formal education, Awareness raising." In their description to the website, its initiators say, "[f]ake news and false historical narratives are spreading online faster than ever. Online sources rooted in misconceptions and ideologies are a significant problem. . . . The website publishes reliable, academic facts to help young people recognize and counter fake news." The jury selected the project, because it "responds and counters widespread inaccuracies of Hungarian history with accessible texts and videos. Tényleg!? appeals to young people by presenting topics produced by their peers. The dominant presentation of history—propagated by the government and on social media—is countered with an interpretation of history that follows academic principles and is open to debate."
We congratulate the awarded initiatives!