ii. Final selection

"I was really taken aback by the talent, by the creative genius of the young Malians. Creating a scenario on a complex, scientific subject such as AIDS is no piece of cake. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the young people were able to combine science and art in such a marvellous way."

Dr. Oumar Traoré, psychologist, member of the National AIDS Control Program of Mali and chair of the Malian national selection committee
ee

The final selection process involves a far smaller number of scenarios (60 rather than 1,000), fewer jurors (8 rather than 20), and focuses much more on debate in plenary sessions than does the pre-selection process.
The objective of this phase is to select 10 winners out of the 60 semi-finalists. Those ten scenarios will subsequently be turned into short films on HIV/AIDS.
In this model, it is assumed that some of the jurors live far away from the selection site and that they will be brought together only for those days when deliberations involving the entire jury take place. That means that you would be well advised to prepare the jurors thoroughly, and have them prepare themselves well, before they come to the selection site. Any requisite individual work (e.g., reading of scenarios) should be completed before the jury convenes. Otherwise, unnecessary expenditures for food, lodging and per diems will start adding up fast.
All eight of your carefully selected jurors will read and grade all 60 scenarios before deliberations begin. When the jury convenes in plenary, its members will determine the winners by taking into account the average scores of the scenarios and their personal preferences.
STEP 1: Draft all documents you might need for the final jury (as discussed above) and make the requisite number of photocopies.
One of the most important documents is the detailed report of the pre-selection jury. The members of the final jury must understand clearly what has transpired. That report should contain an exhaustive, detailed, and thoroughly self-explanatory presentation of the selection criteria and grading systems determined by the pre-selection jury.
Each juror will receive a copy of each of the sixty semi-finalist scenarios. You can save lots of paper by first typing out those scenarios that are exclusively in text form.
STEP 2: Send the jurors the exhaustive pre-selection report, as well as a first bit of homework
At this point, do not yet send the jurors the semi-finalist texts.
Ask them to study the pre-selection report extremely carefully and to ask (via phone or e-mail) any questions they might have. Circulate those questions and your answers to all jurors.

Give the jurors the following task (we are still a couple of weeks before the jury convenes): Ask them to write down a list, by priority, of the ten elements they want to see somewhere in the series of ten films that is to be produced. Invite them to draw on their personal experiences as well as on discussions with colleagues in their area. Provide them with a highly diverse list of examples, such as:

C A dialogue between two young lovers on condom use
C Humor
C A drunk person making a big mistake
C Rural scenes
C A religious leader playing a constructive role
C A family being supportive of a person living with HIV
C Street youths
C Girls talking about self-respect.

Have the jurors send you their lists before you send them the semi-finalist texts.
STEP 3: The jurors grade the 60 semi-finalist texts
Send every juror the 60 texts and instruct them to select their top ten scenarios and insist that they rank them in order of priority from one to ten. Have the jurors send you their list of their top ten scenarios.
During this process, each juror should also take note of which of the 60 scenarios are particularly strong with regard to each of the 10 priority elements they want to see among the winners.
STEP 4: Compile a table that synthesizes the top ten list of the eight jurors. To do this, give each scenario ranked first 10 points, each scenario ranked second 9 points and so on, so that a scenario ranked tenth receives 1 point. Add up the number of points allotted to each scenario and compile a synthesis rankings list of the scenarios from the one that received the most points to the one that received the least.
STEP 5: The jury convenes: Conduct the introductory session

When the jury arrives, they will be closely acquainted with all the texts. They will have their personal list of the ten priority elements they want to see somewhere in the series of films. On the wall of the jury chamber, they will find a large compilation table synthesizing the rankings of the eight jurors and will be able to ascertain how this relates to their own top ten rankings. Right away, some of the jurors will start gearing up for a good debate.
Do not forget to have an outside rapporteur present at all deliberations.
This introductory session includes:

C A general welcome and introduction of the chairperson
C Introductions of the jurors
C Discussion and adoption of the day_s agenda and the timetable for the entire session
C Overview/update of the project
C A presentation of the documents you have prepared as the basis for collecting juror feedback in the course of the selection process.
C A presentation by the pre-selection rapporteur
C An overview of the methodology to be used for selecting the winners
C Debate and adoption of the selection criteria established by the pre-selection jury.

STEP 6: The jurors, working individually for an hour or so, plan their strategies for the debate to come
The jurors are invited to study the ten scenarios that have received the highest scores based on the synthesis of the eight jurors_ top ten ranking. For the moment, these ten scenarios make up the LEADER BOARD. But just as in a golf tournament, this leader board can change radically over the course of the following few hours.
The jurors compare this list with: a) their own top ten favorites and b) their list of 10 priority elements. Then, they make specific proposals for changing the leader board. A specific proposal must be made up of two things:

1) A recommendation to introduce a scenario to the leader board that is currently not there. The juror must be prepared to make a strong case for such a change.

2) A request that a certain scenario be taken off the current leader board so that there be room for the juror's recommended replacement. Again, the juror must be ready to present solid arguments.

STEP 7: The debate
Make sure you have an excellent chairperson who is able to maintain order and fairness throughout. It won't be easy, but it will be fascinating.
This phase, which could take a couple of days, will feature alternating periods of juror recommendations and debate, on the one hand, and individual re-strategizing (as in step six) on the other.
The debate continues until the jurors come to a consensus on which ten scenarios will be turned into films.
In determining the final winners of the Scenarios from the Sahel contest, there were no quotas with regard to the sex, age, nationality or rural/urban residence of the participants. The jurors ignored those factors and made their choices based on quota-free selection criteria.
The jury should take a half-hour or so at the outset to decide on rules of the game that everyone will abide by.
You can facilitate the debate by laying out guidelines for the way a juror is to present a given scenario. In Scenarios from the Sahel, the jurors were asked to include the following elements in their presentations:

C A summary of the scenario (to refresh people's memories)
C Comments on the anticipated impact of the film
C The juror's vision of what the film might look like
C A statement as to which target groups the film would be geared toward
C Recommended changes to the original scenario
C Selected passages to be quoted

STEP 8: The list of winners is drafted by the selection secretary and prepared for the press

STEP 9: During a break, a draft press release is prepared, perhaps by a consultant specially hired for the organization of the selection press conference
STEP 10: Jurors discuss the draft press release and agree on final wording. The press release is prepared and dispatched to representatives of the media.
STEP 11: In a session lasting at least half a day (and ideally a full day), jurors present their observations and recommendations and discuss evaluation of the contest and of the selection process, documents on subsequent project phases, and any other documents you distributed with a view to collecting juror input.
STEP 12: Thank the jurors, close the session, and prepare for the press conference
STEP 13: Press conference to introduce the jurors to the media, announce the winners of the contest, and discuss subsequent project phases
On no account should the serological status of any jurors living with HIV/AIDS be divulged at the press conference or in a press release without that individual_s prior, fully informed consent. This fact must be brought to the attention of all jurors if the person living with HIV/AIDS has decided to reveal his or her status to fellow jurors.
STEP 14: In collaboration with the rapporteur, draft the report of the final selection, as well as summary reports on each of the input-seeking documents you had distributed to and discussed with the jurors.