Interested citizens can participate in the competition for the use of public spaces
Within the project "Open ideas for beautiful Montenegro” yesterday, the presentation of the competition was organized, the aim of which is to collect the best and most creative solutions for the use of public spaces in five Montenegrin municipalities. The project is implemented Office of the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP), in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro - Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, NGO Digitalizuj.me and the municipalities of Berane, Mojkovac, Rožaje, Šavnik and Žabljak.
The official opening of the project was yesterday, Wednesday, February 11, starting at 11 a.m. in the United Nations Eco Building. In their introductory presentations, they said:
- Igor Lukšić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration,
- Branimir Gvozdenović, Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism and
- Norimasa Šimomura, acting permanent representative of UNDP in Montenegro.
He presented the rules for participation in the competition "Open ideas for a beautiful Montenegro". Nikola Vulić from Digitalizuj.me.
The municipalities included in the project nominated a total of five locations where a new purpose should be designed, taking into account the type of location, existing infrastructure and capacities, as well as the needs of the environment itself. The project will focus on more efficient use of spatial and other resources and initiation of dialogue at the level of local communities. The main goal of the project is to connect all the resources of Montenegrin society, with the help of innovations, in order to recognize the needs of citizens, and in partnership to achieve priority development goals at the local and national level.
The solutions proposed by citizens in the competition should contribute to solving one or more of the stated goals:
- Reduction of unemployment among young people
- Reducing the poverty rate
- Social inclusion of vulnerable groups
- Valorization of the cultural and historical heritage of Montenegro
With this kind of participation of citizens in creating the future in their communities, the project will contribute to breaking the psychology of the "subject", and to the creation of an active civil society and public administration based on mutual trust.
On behalf of the municipality of Rožaje, the meeting was attended by Amela Kalender and Mensur Kalender. Amela Kalender presented the Ganić tower and the vision of the municipality regarding the renovation of the tower.
General about the project:
In 2013, the Office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Montenegro and Digitalizuj.Me launched the first competition in social innovation called "Open Ideas for Montenegro", in which 8 teams competed with applications that dealt with the topics of transparency and responsibilities. The winning application was "Be Responsible" and its sustainability was successfully ensured. The Ministry of Finance in the Government of Montenegro decided to adopt the winning web and application for mobile devices as one of the key tools for identifying elements of the gray economy. The project was also presented as one of the 7 bright spots at the annual Open Government Summit, thus gaining international recognition and praise.
In 2014, a similar project was launched at the regional level, this time with competitions organized in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro. The competition in Montenegro was again organized by UNDP in cooperation with the NGO Digitalizuj.Me. The competition produced two winners - the organization Ideus and the Association of Disabled Youth of Montenegro. These two projects are currently in their final stages of development and we expect their full affirmation during 2015.
The project "Open ideas for Montenegro", as well as the similar projects "Montenegro on Twitter - Get involved in changes" and "Citizens' involvement in combating the gray economy (Be responsible)" pointed to the unstoppable power of civic activism and innovation, on the one hand, as well as the existence of unused resources at the level of local communities on the other hand. Local self-government units, especially in less developed parts of Montenegro, often do not have the capacity to use all spatial capacities and other resources available to them, while citizens expect an increased quality of services at the local level, as well as the possibility to influence the development of the communities in which they live.
Bearing in mind all of the above, and in accordance with the Work Program of the Government of Montenegro for 2015, one of whose priorities is the implementation of the policy of balanced and even regional development of Montenegro, the third year of the Open Ideas project is implemented through the Open Ideas for a Beautiful Montenegro competition, which aims to collect the best and most creative solutions for the use of public spaces in five Montenegrin municipalities. The project is implemented by the Office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, the NGO Digitalizuj.me and the municipalities of Berane, Mojkovac, Rožaje, Šavnik and Žabljak.
The municipalities included in the project nominated a total of five locations that need to be designed for a new purpose, taking into account the type of location, existing infrastructure and capacities, as well as the needs of the environment itself. The project will focus on more efficient use of spatial and other resources and initiation of dialogue at the level of local communities. The main goal of the project is to connect all the resources of Montenegrin society, with the help of innovations, in order to recognize the needs of citizens and achieve priority development goals at the local and national level in partnership.
The solutions proposed by the citizens in the competition should contribute to the solution of one or more of the selected goals, among which are the reduction of unemployment among young people, the reduction of the poverty rate, the social inclusion of vulnerable groups and the valorization of the cultural and historical heritage of Montenegro. With this kind of participation of citizens in creating the future in their communities, the project will contribute to breaking the psychology of the "subject", and to the creation of an active civil society and public administration based on mutual trust.
RULES
What are Open Ideas for a Beautiful Montenegro?
Open ideas for a beautiful Montenegro is a competition whose goal is to collect the best and most creative solutions for arranging five proposed locations in Montenegro. Namely, five municipalities in Montenegro (Berane, Mojkovac, Rožaje, Šavnik and Žabljak) nominated five locations that need to be designed for a new purpose, taking into account the type of location, existing infrastructure and capacities, as well as the needs of the environment in which the locations are located.
The main goal of the project is to connect all the resources of Montenegrin society, through the concept of open innovation, in the direction of identifying the needs of citizens and achieving priority development goals at the local and national level. Strengthening the inclusion of citizens in important social processes, greater participation of young people in the decision-making process, valorization of the cultural and historical treasures of Montenegro, are some of the concrete goals that can be achieved with this project.
Who can participate?
The competition is open to all citizens of Montenegro, regardless of gender, age or profession. Individuals, groups and organizations from Montenegro can apply.
An ideal team should bring together individuals from different branches who will jointly offer well-rounded solutions applicable in practice.
Teams can propose multiple solutions for one location, or multiple solutions for different locations. Not only is something like this allowed, but we encourage all teams to submit as many solutions as possible and thus try to contribute even more to the community, but also to increase their chances of winning one of the prizes. Within the same location, one team can have only one solution in the final of the competition.
We especially encourage women to apply and take part in the competition.
Members of the immediate family of the competition organizer do not have the right to participate.
What is the theme of the "Open Ideas" competition?
The solutions proposed as part of the Open Ideas for a Beautiful Montenegro competition should contribute to solving one or more of the stated goals:
- Reduction of unemployment among young people
- Reducing the poverty rate
- Social inclusion of vulnerable groups
- Valorization of the cultural and historical heritage of Montenegro.
How can I participate in the competition Open ideas for a beautiful Montenegro?
Ensuring participation in the competition is very simple.
Look at the offered locations and think about what solution would be optimal for a specific location, which would help to fulfill some of the stated goals. Gather a team of people who can help you.
Submit your idea via a simple form at our website no later than Friday, March 27. At this stage, it is enough to just briefly describe what kind of solution your group proposes for the locations you are applying for.
Promote the idea within your community, share it with your friends on social networks, invite your friends to support your team's idea by voting for it, also through our website, when the time comes.
If your idea qualifies for the next stage of the competition, get ready to join us at specially organized events where a group of mentors will help your group to better design their solution(s) and present it(s) in the best possible way. At these events, you will meet other competitors and have the opportunity to exchange experiences with them.
The final proposed solution for a specific location or locations should be sent no later than Friday, May 15. The final will be held on Thursday, May 28, where 3 teams for each location will have the opportunity to publicly present their solutions.
Evaluation and selection criteria
After the completion of the first phase in which the solutions for the competition are submitted (February 11 - March 27), in the case of a large number of submitted proposals (more than 10 per location), the expert jury will select the 10 best proposals for each of the locations, which will continue competition. If such a situation occurs, no later than Friday, April 3, it will be announced which teams will continue the competition.
After the period of preparation of solutions for the final of the competition, all solutions will be presented on the website and a public vote will be organized in the period from May 18 to 22. In this phase, the expert jury and the audience will jointly choose 3 solutions for each of the locations. The votes of the audience and the jury will be scored according to the 50/50 system, and in the event of a tie, the vote of the jury will decide. If a team has several proposed solutions for the same location, only one of the proposed solutions will be able to qualify for the finals. There is no limit to the number of proposals for different locations that can qualify for the finals.
After the finalists are known, a second round of voting will be organized from May 25 to 28, and voting will be closed at the beginning of the final event where the finalists will publicly present their solutions. The winners will also be selected by a joint vote of the jury and the audience, according to the same system as the finalists.
The basic criterion for evaluating the offered solutions will be the extent to which they solve the goal or goals that were set as the topic of the competition itself. In addition, feasibility, sustainability, potential for social change and time frame will be considered.
Deadlines
Submission of proposed solutions - from February 11 to March 27
Possible selection of solutions that will continue the competition - from March 27 to April 2
Announcement of the selected solutions - April 3
Preparation of solutions by the teams for the finals - from April 3 to May 15
Online voting for finalists – from May 18 to 22
Announcement of finalists – May 25
Voting for contest winners – from May 25 to May 28
Final – May 28
Our vision includes:
- Arrange the space around the museum,
- Open an ethno-cafe offering local products,
– Souvenir shop,
– A couple of craft shops,
– Fountain in the middle of the yard,
– Translation of old writings that are in the museum's possession
Awards
The Open Ideas for a Beautiful Montenegro competition will have five winners, one for each of the offered locations.
Prize money for the winners in the amount of EUR 3,000
The winning teams will be promoted on all relevant offline and online media.
Do you want to contact us?
Contact us via contact form, or send a tweet or message via Facebook. We are here for all people who are interested in this competition. Help us make Montenegro more beautiful for everyone!
