OSCE contest challenges violent extremist narratives through art

BERLIN, 31 May 2016 – To develop a powerful message against violent extremism, the OSCE in partnership with eYeka, a global community of talented creators, has launched a design contest today, the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier announced.  Under the #LetsDoodle hashtag, the contest invites artists and designers to develop a cartoon character that will challenge the binary, us versus them, black-and-white thinking that often underpins violent extremist narratives.

“We should involve young people as partners in our efforts – tap into their creativity and encourage them to use their energy in support of safeguarding their peers, families and communities against violent extremism,” said Ambassador Zannier, announcing the contest at the opening of the 2016 OSCE Counter-Terrorism Conference in Berlin.

Participants will be able to upload their entries online until 19 June via www.osce.org/letsdoodle. The four best entries, selected by a jury of OSCE staff, will be awarded prizes totalling EUR 3,000.

The contest is open to everyone from the 57 OSCE participating States, as well as 11 Asian and Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation, including citizens across the OSCE region. Detailed contest guidelines and requirements can be found here.  

The contest is being held as part of the OSCE United in Countering Violent Extremism (#UnitedCVE) communications campaign. Launched in June 2015, the campaign highlights the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to countering violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism and reinforcing a global consensus against this threat. Follow the campaign on Twitter for more updates on the contest.