b. Preparation of contest documents

The contest leaflet, i.e., the document young people will receive from the contest team and use as the source of guidelines for their participation, is extremely important. Please take plenty of time to ensure that every detail of this leaflet is as good as it possibly can be.
Before we discuss the various specific items that you might want to consider including in your contest document, here are a few general comments to bear in mind as you go about the drafting process.
It is essential to pre-test every element of the contest document exhaustively, because shortcomings in it might well have negative consequences throughout the remainder of the project. An avalanche of problems could start here.
While drafting the contest document, strive for simplicity in content and in language. Have several people review it to ensure that the language is as simple and unambiguous as possible, even for someone who has only two or three years of schooling. A good strategy is to look out for words of three syllables or more, or sentences composed of multiple clauses, and try to find alternatives wherever you can.
One of the challenges you are likely to face is striking the balance between clarity and concision. On the one hand, the contest instructions must be crystal clear to all participants. On the other, you want to try and avoid ending up with a document that is so long it intimidates some.

To facilitate the work of grass-roots structures and others who assist participants not literate in the official language(s), draft an official translation of the entire document for each of the main local languages. It_s a good idea to have each translation _back-translated_, i.e. translated back into the original language by a second translator. Compare the back translation with the original document. If there are major discrepancies between the two texts, you should revise the original translation accordingly. It is important to pre-test the definitive translations to ensure that they are interpreted by participants in exactly the same way as the original document.

Be sure to have the document reviewed by a specialized lawyer. Some of the things to watch out for are: liability (of whatever nature, depending on your legal context), lack of clarity of the organizers_ responsibilities, and ambiguity with regard to the question of intellectual property. It must be absolutely clear that by participating in the contest, the participant cedes his or her intellectual property rights in the scenario to the contest organizers. Another legal point to look into _ one that varies radically from culture to culture _ has to do with the use of the young person_s name in subsequent project elements: the archive, research based on the participants_ texts and questionnaires, and the films.
You will find an English translation of the Scenarios from the Sahel contest leaflet in Appendix One. We invite you to read through it before taking a look at the following detailed discussion on contest documents.
The contest leaflet can be divided into three parts:

General section
List of suggested topics
Questionnaire

Preparing contest documents: The general section of the contest leaflet
You might want to consider including the following elements in this section:
i) The project logo
ii) The title of the contest
iii) A brief, catchy introduction. The idea is to catch the eye and capture the attention of potential participants, as well as to inform them succinctly about the general subject of the contest.
iv) Details on rules and how to participate

C Geographic area covered
C Dates of contest
C Age limit. You might want to express this both in terms of age (i.e., _all people who have not turned 25 by the opening _ or closing _ date_) and in terms of date of birth (i.e., _all people born after ../../1974_).

C A clear explanation of what the participants_ contributions might be used for (i.e., the basis of films, radio shows, comic books...)
C Possible form of contribution (short story, comics, etc.)
C Language(s) allowed
C A reminder that the tone of one_s contribution can vary; humorous scenarios are welcome. This is particularly important. Young people often need reminding that just because the scenario is about HIV/AIDS, it doesn_t have to have an unhappy ending. In many contexts, it_s important to encourage visions of hope, optimism and empowerment to counteract the alienating and depressing images of threat, fear and death that have frequently been disseminated to date.
C Encouragement to discuss one_s scenario with others and to seek out specialized sources of information
C Emphasis on the possibility of working in a team, as well as comments on the benefits of a team approach. Participants working in a team must appoint a team leader. This is the person whose name will appear on the questionnaire. She or he will receive any awards won on behalf of the team.
C A statement that it is mandatory for individuals working alone and for team leaders to complete the contest questionnaire.
C An explanation of what the questionnaire will be used for.
C Instructions to attach all pages of a scenario plus the questionnaire in some way or another. We received scenarios with pages attached not only with staples and paper clips, but also with regular dressmakers_ pins (particularly from rural areas). Contributions that did not have the pages attached to each other sometimes ended up getting shuffled about in the course of collection and delivery to the selection site. In the Scenarios from the Sahel leaflet, we requested that participants submit their contributions in an envelope. This was largely ignored by participants, and that turned out not to matter except if the pages were not attached to one another.
C Instructions to write one_s name on every page (in case they did get separated) and to number each page.

C Details on the total number of pages allowed, as well as the size of paper to use. If cassettes are allowed: specification on the total number of minutes allowed
C A suggestion that concise contributions are welcome
C A request that participants write as legibly as possible

v) Details on the selection process and prizes

C A concise explanation of the selection process
C Specifications as to the number of winners at each level
C A list of the prizes to be awarded at each level of the contest (national, regional...)
C A statement that there will be one prize per winning team
C The date by which winners will receive prizes. (Be sure to state a date that allows organizers enough time to reach people in remote places. If schools are playing a significant role in implementing the contest and distributing prizes, make sure this date is not during school holidays.)
C Emphasis on the fact that participants must provide enough information so that contest organizers can find them easily to award them their prizes

vi) Legal matters

An unambiguous statement that all contributions become the property of the organizing structure, that the participant cedes intellectual property rights in the scenario by participating, as well as a statement (depending on legal norms in your region) that participants allow the organizer to use the participant_s name and their contribution as the organizer wishes.

vii) The names and logos of funders and sponsors. It can be very helpful if you have those logos in electronic form, not only for the contest leaflet, but also for contest posters, banners and T-shirts, and for the film generics. As soon as a funder or sponsor comes on board, try and secure their permission to use their logo on material of this kind and ask them to provide it on disk. Some funding agencies are anxious to avoid their logo being used abusively (for example, for commercial or fundraising purposes), and it might be necessary to seek permission for each separate use.
viii) A space for the distributing organization to write in its contact information. The address written (or stamped) in this space should be that of the local partner organization from whom a participant receives his or her leaflet and, in the best-case scenario, to whom the participant can turn for specialized information and support while drafting a contribution.

Preparing contest documents: the list of suggested topics
The Scenarios from the Sahel team followed the French project 3,000 Scenarios Against a Virus in including a list of suggested themes _ expressed in terms of situations _ in the contest leaflet. There were several reasons for doing so. First of all, the team wanted to provide young people with some ideas that the latter could use as springboards to start their creative processes, all the while emphasizing that participants were free to write on any relevant topic of their choice. Even if participants decided not to choose a suggestion from the list, we wanted to help get their creative juices flowing and make the idea of creating a scenario seem less daunting. The list clearly illustrated that we were keen to encourage situational scenarios _ vignettes _ not didactic messages in the manner of public service announcements. Secondly, the list of suggestions was a means to call to participants' attention those topics deemed to be of particular _ and in some cases urgent _ importance to specialists in the field. Thirdly, it was designed to give participants a sense of the breadth and depth of the epidemic_s impact on society. As it turned out, it also hugely facilitated the selection and archiving process. In addition, it gave us the opportunity to include some important factual information, for example, to alert people to the fact that STD_s, if left untreated, can lead to sterility.

The list of suggestions was based on consensus concerns revealed by an extensive survey conducted among some eighty HIV/AIDS specialists (carried out largely via e-mail). Each of those specialists received a letter in which the Scenarios team informed/updated them on the state of the project and explained the reasons why a list of suggestions would be included in the contest leaflet. The specialists were asked to reflect on the epidemic and on current efforts to counter it, as well as on the strengths and weaknesses of existing audio-visual materials. Then, they were asked a hypothetical question: "If you had one of Africa's finest filmmakers in front of you right now, and you could instruct her or him to make three films on HIV/AIDS, what specific topics would you want covered?" Having witnessed the impact of the contest as a learning experience for young people, we might now include an additional question for our specialists: _Which HIV/AIDS related situations do you feel it is essential that young people be encouraged to reflect upon, discuss and build consensus about._
Once the team received responses back from the specialists, we studied them to determine which topics were mentioned most often. The list of suggestions is a direct reflection of those priorities. The final detailed suggestions were developed in consultation with groups of local organizations and of young people.
In order to enhance your chances of getting a large number of responses, start the consultative process as early as you can. The process is an excellent way to inform people (including prospective funders for subsequent project phases), get or keep them actively involved in the project, and bolster a probably as yet nascent sense of ownership.
While drawing up a draft list of suggestions, pay special attention to simplicity of language, and try to make each topic sound as interesting as possible. Also, try and vary the tone to underline the sheer diversity of scenarios that are possible and welcome. Once you have completed a draft list, pre-test it for clarity and level of interest. If pre-testing reveals that certain topics would be chosen by practically nobody, find out why. If it has to do with wording, reformulate the topic.
Each item on the list of suggestions is numbered, and participants are instructed to write the number they have chosen on their contribution. This system is a invaluable when it comes to organizing the selection process, as well as archiving and research.
Focus-group discussions with participants held after the contest revealed that the list of suggestions was perceived as highly pertinent to their personal realities. The majority of participants said that the list was a helpful guide as they went about drafting their scenarios. However, a significant minority said that they wished that there had been no list included, as this "limited our creativity". Others said, "We found it hard to choose from among the topics listed". These comments surprised us, as we had thought that we had been sufficiently explicit about the fact that participants could write about any topic at all and were not bound to choose from the list. Focus-group discussants said that, in the future, we must be even more specific on that point.
"I think we would have had more fantastic scenarios had there been no list. Because of the list, many participants saw the contest as a school exercise."

Mr. Mama Sabé, educational advisor at IPM/Mali, member of the Malian national jury

"I like the list a lot. It is based on the opinions of experts, and this gives us the perspectives of young people on those subjects. We have real needs, and this list helps us to address those real needs."

Wéléba Bagayoko, Coordinator of the school-based EVF/EMP Project, organiser of the Malian contest and national selection

Preparing contest documents: the questionnaire
In Scenarios from the Sahel, participants were required to fill out and attach to their scenario a two-page questionnaire designed to provide contact and demographic information on the participant as well as data pertaining to the participant_s actual and desired sources of information on HIV/AIDS.
This questionnaire (see Appendix One) is the fruit of a consultative survey of people working in the field of HIV/AIDS in the project region, as well as interested specialists located elsewhere. We explained to those solicited that we had a golden opportunity to collect information from _ if all went well _ thousands of young people across the region. The question we asked the specialists had to do with the kind of information they felt they needed most. Drawing on their priority requests, and bearing in mind the context in which young people would be responding, we opted to focus on young people's sources of information on HIV/AIDS. Given that young people would have up to two months to fill out their questionnaires, we wanted to ask questions that could not be researched, but rather ones that had to do with the respondent's own experiences and opinions.
The questionnaire included the following components:
C The number selected from the list of suggestions.
C Questions which would provide demographic information about the participant. This information is used to locate the winners, as well as in the context of archiving and research.
C A few questions to determine whether the person had worked alone or in a team, the make-up of the team, and how the participant had heard about the contest (valuable for evaluating contest distribution strategies).
C Questions on the participant's actual and desired sources of information on HIV/AIDS.

It is essential to pre-test the questionnaire exhaustively. Furthermore, you would be well-advised to go a step further and, before the contest even starts, pre-test your data-entry and data-analysis strategies. We made the mistake of not doing so, and we discovered (too late) that certain flaws in the Scenarios from the Sahel questionnaire became evident the moment data entry and analysis were started.
A colleague of ours, Kendall Repass (formerly with Peace Corps/Senegal and presently at Columbia University), evaluated the questionnaire and put together a number of invaluable suggestions for improvement. You will find some of his comments in Appendix Two.
It is important to remember that the questionnaire will provide detailed socio-demographic and qualitative data only on individual authors and team leaders. For logistical reasons, it is not possible to collect detailed data on every member of a team but you should ensure that your questionnaire provides you with all the data you need. For example, if you want to know exactly how many women or out-of-school youth participated in the contest, you will need to ask specific questions on gender and schooling in your section about the make-up of teams.
The fact that the questionnaire accompanied a contribution to a contest made it difficult to ask certain types of questions. We recognized that this was likely to bias responses as participants would provide the answer that they thought the selection jury would want to see (despite our protestations in the contest leaflet that the questionnaire would in no way influence the selection). In addition, questions about HIV/AIDS-related behavior ran the risk of alienating parents.
Questions about knowledge on HIV/AIDS would make little sense as participants would have time to research the right answers. We did, however, decide to include one question which we believed had the potential to indicate how successfully the participants had assimilated the information they had received, namely _Do you know someone living with HIV?_ with, as possible responses _Yes_, _No_ and _I don_t know_. In our minds when we formulated the question, the only correct answers were _Yes_ and _I don_t know_. In the event, many participants answered _No_. In retrospect, we recognize that in the context of a questionnaire, _I don_t know_ is prone to different interpretations. This was something that our pre-tests had failed to alert us to. A better response option would be: _Not that I am aware_. Perhaps you can come up with similarly revealing questions that cannot be researched.

Preparing contest document: a few ideas on design
With regard to design, the Scenarios from the Sahel contest leaflet turned out to be user-friendly both to participants and to the organizing team.
The leaflet was printed on both sides of heavy, slightly glossy paper measuring 10 x 22 inches (25 x 56 cm). It was gatefolded so that there were three equally-sized (3.3 x 7.3 inch) flaps, making a total of six printable pages. The questionnaire was printed on both sides of the right-hand flap. It was easy for the participants to simply tear off that flap and attach it to their scenario.
With hindsight, we would change little about the overall leaflet design, though we might change the layout somewhat, leaving more white space and using more colors, to make it as inviting as possible.
Be sure to contact your printer well in advance _ this is not something to be done at the last minute. It is also important to monitor the design and printing phases closely. Even small errors in the document could have negative consequences on a massive scale. You should ensure that the printer gives you proofs and have several people examine them for errors (for example, it is remarkably easy to overlook a misspelling when it is in print, because we expect everything to be correct because it is in print). You should also compare the proofs line by line against your original document; it sometimes happens that sentences or lines of text are accidentally omitted and this isn_t always immediately apparent.
With printing, the unit price decreases dramatically the more units you require. For this reason, it is always better to overestimate the number of leaflets you will need rather than underestimate. Remember you might also want to send them to funders or partners, and to keep a supply for your own records. All the same, bear in mind when negotiating with your printer that you may indeed need to reprint the leaflet during the contest should demand be extremely high. Be sure to secure his or her assurance that this will be possible.