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Christopher Allen Prize for Writing Winners

- Press Release for Christopher Allen Prize for Writing -

December 23, 2021 - Christopher’s birthday.

The judges of the inaugural competition for the Christopher Allen Prize for Writing, a competition for secondary school students of South Sudanese descent, are pleased to announce that the winner and recipients of honorable mentions have been selected and notified of their success. We received many entries to this competition and each was meritorious. The stories were moving, poignant and honest and we hope to share these with the world in the future. This Award honors Christopher's love of words and his generosity in supporting others to develop their writing and storytelling skills. As such, the winner will receive tools for their craft, visibility for their work and a contribution to their education and professional development.

The three finalists have asked to remain anonymous for fear of their safety, consequently their names will not be released to the public.

The winning essays focused on the issues faced by South Sudan and were particularly concerned with displacement, access to education, tribal conflict, police corruption and gender inequality. The winning essays will be published in the coming months.

Christopher Allen was a British American journalist who went to South Sudan to report on the conflict in that region. Chris loved stories. As a child, he loved telling them, hearing them and reading them. As a journalist, he sought to write some of the world’s untold stories and he was uncompromising in his search for truth. Christopher was targeted by government forces and killed in Kaya, South Sudan on 26 August, 2017. Up until the end of his short life, Chris was committed to telling the stories of lives in under- reported corners of the world.

The winners of this competition were found to share Christopher’s same urgency for truth. It is our hope that these winners and entrants will help to fill the void left by the loss of reporters like Christopher Allen and others whose voices have been silenced.

www.christopherallen.org/prize

- END -

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PRESS RELEASE - FOURTH ANNIVERSARY, 2021

On the fourth anniversary of the killing of Christopher Allen, his family open the call for entries for the Inaugural Christopher Allen Prize for Writing

PRESS RELEASE CHRISTOPHER ALLEN PRIZE FOR WRITING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

26 AUGUST, 2021

On the fourth anniversary of the killing of Christopher Allen, his family open the call for entries for the Inaugural Christopher Allen Prize for Writing

With support from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the family of slain British-American journalist Christopher Allen open the call for submissions for the first annual Christopher Allen Prize for Writing, to mark the fourth anniversary since his killing in South Sudan.

Christopher’s family and RSF also renew their call for an investigation and concrete steps towards justice without delay.

The Christopher Allen Prize for Writing is a competition open to any secondary school student of South Sudanese descent living in Africa. The mentorship which accompanies the Prize embodies Christopher's love of words and his generosity in supporting others to develop their writing and storytelling skills.

This Prize is intended to ensure Christopher’s legacy continues, it will help to focus attention on the lives of those in and from South Sudan. Joyce Krajian said “I want to take this opportunity to again demand justice for the killing of our son. Today makes four years of fighting for answers and there have been no significant steps taken towards answering even basic questions about what happened to him. Shockingly, Christopher’s own governments - the US and UK - have failed to provide us with adequate support or sufficiently pressure the government of South Sudan to fulfil its obligation to conduct an investigation.”

Announcing the theme for the competition this year in 2021, Joyce Krajian and John Allen, Christopher’s parents said: “The Prize is an opportunity for South Sudanese secondary school students in Africa to tell the world about themselves in their own words.”

Theme for essay submissions for the 2021 Prize

Essay submissions should describe life in South Sudan, or in the communities the entrants have created as refugees, asylum seekers or migrants elsewhere in Africa. This Prize gives South Sudanese youth the opportunity to share their experiences, ideas and visions for their lives, as well as their hopes for the future of South Sudan.

Submissions open today and close on 23rd October, 2021. Full guidelines are available at www.christopherallen.org/prize

Christopher’s parents said: “we recognize that writing can be dangerous. As such, we will work with recipients to ensure that their identities are kept confidential and published under pseudonyms if they so choose. If you wish to submit an essay, but you are concerned for your safety, please get in touch at contact@christopherallen.org"

The Award

The Winner will receive:

  • a personal laptop computer to the maximum value of US $2000.*

  • a scholarship for their schooling to the maximum value of US $3000.**

  • the publication of their essay in a forum that is appropriate to the style of essay submitted and on the Christopher Allen website.

  • mentorship for a year from a published and working writer to help the recipient develop and refine their writing skills.

The family were delighted to announce the judging panel and mentor for the 2021 Prize:

Judges:

John Allen and Joyce Krajian

Parents of Christopher Allen

Nyadol Nyuon
Australian Lawyer of South Sudanese descent

Pat Hughes
Writer of Young Adult Fiction and Editor

Sam Hughes
Writer and Editor, formerly Senior Editor of The Pennsylvania Gazette

Sam Mednick
Associated Press Correspondent in Burkina Faso and, formerly AP’s correspondent in South Sudan

Mentor for 2021 Prize

Charlotte Alfred
Freelance journalist who has reported from across the Middle East and East Africa, including South Sudan. She leads data and OSINT investigations on corruption and migration at collaborative journalism group Lighthouse Reports.

"This writing prize will serve as a beautiful part of the campaign for justice for Christopher Allen, who was killed in the line of duty reporting on a conflict that he wanted the world to better understand. Four years on, Reporters Without Borders continues to support Christopher's family in their pursuit of truth and accountability, and we call again for concrete action from Christopher's own governments - the US and UK - to secure an investigation without further delay." said RSF’s Director of International Campaigns Rebecca Vincent.

RSF remains committed to supporting Christopher Allen’s family in their campaign for justice, alongside a legal team from Howard Kennedy LLP and Doughty Street Chambers.

South Sudan is ranked 139th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index.

An insight into Christopher’s work in South Sudan

On 26 August, 20-17 freelance journalist Christopher Allen was killed whilst covering the civil conflict in South Sudan. Last year, Christopher’s family launched an online memorial with never-before-seen photos taken by Christopher and excerpts from his writing from the three weeks he spent embedded with rebel forces in South Sudan before he was killed in the line of duty.

Notes:

  • Details on the Christopher Allen Prize for Writing are available at www.christopherallen.org/prize.

  • The online memorial to Christopher Allen is available at www.christopherallen.org

  • Press contacts: Christopher Allen’s family at contact@christopherallen.org or Rebecca Vincent at rvincent@rsf.org

    *The type of computer will be decided in conjunction with the Winner so as to best meet their requirements.
    **The scholarship will be paid directly to the approved school or course provider nominated by the Winner.

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