- Introduction and context
The #Crossed Perspective Media Program is organized by CFI (French agency of media development) as part of the Shared Horizons project (hereinafter the “Project”), specifically under its third component aimed at combating disinformation in the Western Balkans.
Shared Horizons is a Project supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, led by Expertise France and implemented by a consortium including the Institut Français, ALDA, Play International, and CFI. The Project seeks to promote dialogue on historical memory and foster common perspectives among young people in the Western Balkans.
- Objectives of the program
The objective is to jointly produce a media product (video format) addressing a topic related to disinformation and historical memory, particularly concerning the conflicts of the 1990s in the Balkans. The Project seeks to examine how disinformation has shaped and continues to influence collective memory and public discourse in the region. This activity will benefit from the experience and expertise of ALDA and the Museum of the 90s.
- Organizer and framework
CFI is a subsidiary of France Médias Monde, the French international media group, and operates under the supervision of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France. CFI works with journalists, media organizations, and civil society to promote access to trustworthy, independent, and pluralistic information in more than 80 countries. Through training programs, institutional support, and project funding, CFI strengthens the capacity of media actors and encourages ethical journalism. Its areas of focus include media literacy, digital citizenship, gender equality in media, youth engagement, and the fight against disinformation.
The #Crossed Perspectives Media Program is implemented as part of Shared Horizons, a regional Project that supports civic, cultural, and media initiatives across the Western Balkans. This project places a strong emphasis on countering disinformation and polarization, and on encouraging cross-border collaboration, dialogue, and creative expression among young people. “Crossed Perspectives” is a regional activity that will bring together 6 pairs of young journalists and/or students from two different Western Balkan countries to collaborate on a short video story. Each pair will travel together to a third country (one that is not their own) in the region to co-produce a story using mobile journalism (MO-JO) tools, under the mentorship of a local media outlet.
- Format and timeline of the program
4.1 MOJO training (2 days)
All participants (6 pairs of young journalists and/or students) will take part in 2 intensive days of mobile journalism training (delivered in person in March 2026 in Albania). This training will cover key aspects of MOJO, including:
- Storyboarding & teamwork.
- Filming/editing with smartphones.
- Ethical considerations when reporting across borders.
- Intro to the disinformation/memory angle.
4.2 Cross-Border Field Production (3-4 days – maximum 5 days)
Each pair will travel to a third country to co-report a story or maybe two; short video for Instagram format, ideally 90 seconds. Each residency will last a maximum of five days, between March and April 2026, giving teams enough time to research, conduct interviews, record, and produce their content.
Each pair will be supported by a local media outlet in the host country, responsible for providing on-the-ground logistical assistance and editorial guidance. In addition, ALDA and the Museum of the 90s may also assist the young journalists in identifying a memory-related topic by facilitating access to sites of memory, suggesting lines of inquiry, or connecting them with key resource persons or potential interviewees.
4.3 Post-Production & Mentoring (Remote – 1 week)
Each pair return home and finalize their editing remotely, supported online by their mentors in the host countries. Mentors provide editorial guidance and technical feedback.
The final productions must be finalized and ready to be published no later than the 20th of May 2026. Stories will be published on:
- Balkan Voices platform
- Partner media outlets in the Western Balkans countries
- CFI Medias website and/or social networks.
- Travel modalities
CFI will cover, through a service provider, the logistics and transportation costs for each participant for the in-person MOJO training in Albania, as well as for the cross-border field productions in one of the six Western Balkan countries: North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, and Montenegro. These costs include ground transportation (or air travel if no ground option is available), accommodation, and per diems for the duration of the stay.
- Who can participate?
Participation is open to all individuals who meet the following criteria:
- Aged between 18 and 30 years old on the date of submission;
- Hold the nationality of, or be legal residents in, one of the following six countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, or Serbia. This includes citizens of these countries living either in their home country or abroad, as well as foreign nationals who reside legally in one of the six countries.
Participation is individual. Each person may submit only one application. People under the age of 18 are not permitted to participate. Proof of age and nationality or residence will be requested by the organizer at the time of the submission to verify eligibility. There are no academic or professional prerequisites. The contest is open to all eligible individuals, regardless of their educational background or field of study.
Article 7. Themes of the program
The pairs will define the topic of their video in coordination with the local mentor media outlet. The overall theme of the media product will focus on disinformation and historical memory, with a particular attention to the conflicts of the 1990s in the Balkans. Examples of topics include:
- The role of memorials (such as Srebrenica) in shaping collective memory.
- Ethnic divisions in school textbooks and their impact on historical perception.
- Denial or partial recognition of war crimes: public memory vs. family memory.
- The role of museums and archives in transmitting—or manipulating—historical memory.
- How local or regional media have covered (or remained silent about) certain historical events.
- The influence of social media in spreading distorted or instrumentalized memory narratives.
- The resurgence of hate speech linked to conflicting historical memories.
- Testimonies from younger generations about what they know (or don’t know) about the 1990s conflicts, such as the role of media and propaganda to support totalitarian regimes, role of intellectuals/dissidents during totalitarian regimes, etc.
There are no predefined formats for the journalistic productions: dynamic video, man-on-the-street interviews, personal testimonies, etc.
Article 8. How to submit
Submissions must be sent via CFI website.
Each submission, written in English, includes:
- An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae
- A cover letter (maximum 2 pages) outlining the candidate’s motivation for joining the program. The candidate may also include links to any journalistic or artistic work they have previously produced and published (article, video, photo report, podcast, etc.). If not published, the applicant also has the possibility to share its productions through the dedicated section on the application form.
- A short description (maximum ½ page) of a proposed reporting topic and suggested angles. This proposal is non-binding and does not constitute a commitment on the part of the candidate if selected; the topic may evolve, in particular during the pairing process.
- The engagement letter completed, dated and signed.
- The following information about the candidate:
- Full name;
- Date of birth;
- Country of nationality and residence;
- Address:
- Email address & phone number;
- (Optional) name of educational institution or current occupation;
- Valid ID proof.
The contest is open from January 22th to February 15th, 2026 (midnight CET).
Submissions received after the deadline or not meeting the technical criteria will not be considered.
Incomplete, unreadable, corrupted, or non-compliant submissions will be automatically disqualified.
- Selection process and evaluation criteria
All eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection jury composed of both local and international members. The jury’s decisions are final and may not be appealed. Each submission will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
| Candidate’s motivation The candidate should clearly demonstrate his/her motivation in participating in the Crossed Perspectives Program and the added value of the Program for their professional or personal project. |
40 points |
| Quality, creativity, and originality of the paragraph The jury will look for topics that are relevant to the overall theme of the program, as well as clear, well-structured, and innovative approaches. All audiovisual content formats are eligible (videos, vox pops, etc.). |
40 points |
| Candidate’s professional or student background
The jury will pay attention to the candidates’ background, skills, editorial perspective, and interest in the themes of the program. All backgrounds (journalism, social sciences, history, etc.) are eligible. |
20 points |
Based on these criteria, the jury will select two winners per country.
The evaluation process will take place during the month of February 2026, and the official list of winners will be published on the CFI website and its official social media channels in March, 2026.
- Promotion and dissemination of the productions
By participating in the #Crossed Perspectives Media Program, all candidates grant the organizer, CFI – Canal France International, as well as the local media outlet responsible for mentoring the candidate, the non-exclusive and royalty-free right to publish their final journalistic production on their respective websites and social media channels for non-commercial purposes directly related to the Program and the Shared Horizons project. All publications of these journalistic productions will credit their authors, unless the participant has explicitly requested anonymity. No modification will be made to the final production, except for translation adjustments required for diffusion and accessibility purpose.
- Copyright and right of use
All participants retain full ownership and copyright of the productions they produce within the #Crossed Perspectives Media Program.
By entering the program, participants confirm that their submission is an original production, produced exclusively by them, and that they hold all necessary rights to the content included in the work, including but not limited to images, illustrations, fonts, audio, video, and any other visual or textual elements.
Participants guarantee that their submission:
- Does not infringe on the intellectual property rights of any third party;
- Does not reproduce or use any copyrighted material without prior, legal authorization;
- Does not contain images or representations of individuals without their explicit, written consent, if those individuals are identifiable.
In case of dispute or claim from a third party, the responsibility lies entirely with the participant. CFI accepts no liability in the event of intellectual property infringement caused by the participant.
CFI also reserves the right to request proof of ownership (e.g., working files, drafts, original images or footage) if there is any doubt about the authorship or origin of the produced work.
- Personal data protection
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679), CFI commits to collecting and processing personal data from candidates and participants in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner.
The following personal data may be collected during the submission process:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Nationality
- Country of residenceand address
- Email addressand phone number
- Educational institution or occupation (optional)
This data is collected exclusively for the purposes of organising and managing the call for applications, including participant eligibility verification, jury evaluation, and communication of results.
Personal data will be processed by CFI and its authorised partners, and may be shared, on a need-to-know basis only, with jury members and project collaborators involved in the contest implementation.
No data will be sold or used for commercial purposes.
No promotional or marketing communications will be sent to candidates and participants.
Data will be stored securely and retained only for the duration of the contest and the final reporting phase of the Shared Horizons project, unless otherwise required by law. Participants and candidates may request the correction or deletion of their personal data at any time, in accordance with applicable data protection regulations.
Any questions or concerns regarding personal data may be addressed to CFI at: balkanvoices@cfi.fr
By submitting an entry, participants and candidates acknowledge and accept the terms of this privacy policy.
- Final provisions
Participation in the #Crossed Perspectives Media Program implies full and unconditional acceptance of the present rules and all decisions taken by CFI..
CFI reserves the right to modify, suspend, or cancel the program, or any part of its process, in the event of unforeseen circumstances or force majeure, without prior notice. Any changes to the schedule or conditions of the call for applications will be communicated as clearly and promptly as possible on the CFI website and official communication channels.
CFI shall not be held responsible for any technical issues, data loss, submission errors, or other difficulties arising from internet connectivity, third-party platforms, or participants’ personal equipment.
In the event of a dispute regarding the interpretation or application of these rules, the organiser will make a final decision, and no further claims will be accepted.
This document constitutes the official and binding regulation of the call for applications. It is published in English Any inquiries concerning the call may be addressed to: balkanvoices@cfi.fr until February 10th 2026. Answers will be published on the Balkan Voices and CFI websites.
Locations :
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, SerbiaProjects :
Shared Horizons (Component 3)Project URL : https://cfi.fr/en/project/shared-horizons-component-3
Profile of Beneficiaries : Candidates : young journalists, students in journalism, history, social sciences, etc.
Email contact : balkanvoices@cfi.fr