The MoJo Arena competition highlights mobile journalism stories produced by students from journalism and communication programs across universities in Central and Eastern Europe.
Participants must register in teams of two, typically consisting of a reporter and a cameraman; however, given the flexible nature of mobile journalism, team roles may interchange as needed.
Please note that once a team is registered, its composition cannot be changed.

STAGE 1 – REGISTRATION IN THE COMPETITION – 24 March – 4 April 
Teams must register by submitting the required information via a designated Google  Form (you can find the link here).  

Registration materials include: 

● A brief description of the team and its members (maximum one Word page or  two PowerPoint slides), including each member’s specialization and year of  study.
● A proposal for a video journalism project (maximum two Word pages or four  PowerPoint slides), which must align with one of the three thematic categories:  
1. Stories of… 
Focused on social issues relevant to contemporary society within the  team’s home country.
2. People of… 
Highlighting inspirational figures or unsung heroes who positively impact  their communities, especially those who serve as role models for younger  generations. 
3. Places of… 
Uncovering lesser-known places or locations with untapped tourism  potential that are not typically featured in mainstream media.
The project proposal must include the following details: 

● A clearly defined central idea 
● A list of necessary technical equipment for filming and editing 
● The editing software or app that will be used 
● A brief outline including potential interview subjects and planned visual elements 

STAGE 2 – TEAM SELECTION

Judging criteria for selecting the teams: 
– the ability of the team to provide a creative, original description of the team members;
– relevance, appeal, and societal value of the proposed project idea
– feasibility of the technical requirements and plans related to filming and editing 

Selected teams will proceed to the competition phase and will be paired with a mentor  to support their project development. 

Important notes: 

● All participants must have basic knowledge of filming (including equipment  handling and composition principles) and video editing (editing tools and  techniques). Mentors will provide guidance, but will not assist with filming or  editing.
● A working knowledge of English is required, as parts of the competition will be  conducted in English.  

STAGE 3 – COMPETITION PHASE: MoJo Arena 

The competition officially launches on April 11 at 11:00 AM (GMT+2). During this  event, team participation order will be randomly drawn, and each team will be  introduced to a professional mentor.
Over the following four weeks, teams will collaborate with their assigned mentors to  develop their final video products. Collaboration may take place entirely online or in  person, depending on mentor availability and team location, while adhering to safety protocols. 

Final Product Requirements: 
● Duration: Minimum 5 minutes, maximum 7 minutes 
● Submission Deadline: May 8, 2025, by 2:00 PM (GMT+2) via transfer link to  [email protected]
● Must include: A final screen with the team name and roles, file named using the  assigned team number (provided on April 11) and project title  
● Language: The video should be in the team’s native language, with English  subtitles embedded 
● All materials must be filmed and edited exclusively using smartphones and  mobile apps

STAGE 4 – FINAL PRESENTATIONS & AWARDS CEREMONY 
On Friday, 9 May, from 11 AM, the products made by the teams will be viewed in an  online event attended by the students, their mentors, as well as the jury members. The  jury will include distinguished journalists who are not part of any of the newsrooms that  mentor or have sent mentor-representatives to the competition.  
In the same evening, the final judging and the presentation of the winning projects will  take place.

Prizes will be announced shortly.  

ABOUT THE COMPETITION MoJo Arena is an initiative launched in 2021 by the Faculty of Journalism and  Communication Sciences. Following a successful first edition in partnership with  Deutsche Welle, this second edition expands its international reach, featuring teams  from Romania, Croatia, Bosnia, and the Republic of Moldova.