The Assembly,
Having regard to the Recommendation of the Assembly (1st Session, 1949 : Doc. 87, Chapter III, 4), requesting the Committee of Ministers to propose to the Governments of Members States of the Council of Europe " that they should systematically organise the instruction of the great mass of the people, pointing out to them the undeniable advantages of union for Europe and, at the same time, the dangers inherent in national isolation";
Having regard to the Resolution 5 of the Assembly, adopted during its second Session, considering " that it is eminently desirable that the Members adopt concrete measures by which to enable public opinion to be more direct ly aware of the reality of European union, "
Having regard to the Report b y the Secretary General (2nd Session, 1950 : Doc. 85, App. II, Chap. I, para. J.) noting that " the range of possibilities for the achievement of our aim is extremely wide ; there are all kinds of valuable steps which might be taken, some in the most unexpected ways; that suggestions from Members of the Consultative Assembly would be of great value; that such measures would help to strengthen the feeling of European unity; and that the important thing is to bring home the idea of the unity and reality of Europe at all times and places " ,
Having regard to Resolution 16 of the Consultative Assembly (2nd Session 1950 : Doc. 129), adopted on 28th August, 1950 approving the suggestions contained in that Report, Desiring to see tangible results accrue from the considerations set out above,
Convinced that any private action likely to succeed in popularising the idea of European unity deserves the full support of the Council of Europe.
Recommends the Committee of Ministers to institute a " Council of Europe prize " to be awarded for the best literary work and the best film of the year presenting to the peoples of Europe the idea and advantages of European unity. Draft Rules for this Motion are attached.
The prize-winners would be selected each year b y the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions on the proposal of the Members of the Assembly.
The Prize would be presented by the President of the Consultative Assembly during the Session of the Assembly.
This public ceremony would take place in the Assembly Hall. The President, the Members of the Committee of Ministers, the Representatives and Substitutes to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe and outstanding personalities in public life, men of letters and members of the press would be invited to attend this ceremony.
The Council of Europe Prize shall he awarded for the best and most inspired literary work and film of the year, outstanding in form and furthering the idea of European unity.
The Council of Europe Prize (hereinafter referred to as the " Prize " ) shall consist of a gold medal, accompanied by an official Certificate of Award signed b y the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe (hereinafter referred to as the " Secretary-General " ) .
The Prize shall be awarded once a year in two equivalent sectors and at the same time, namely :
One Prize for the best literary work.
One Prize for the best film.
The Prize may not be divided.
Only works already printed or films already made shall be entered for the competition. There shall be no restriction on the nationality of the authors, provided, however, that the original version of the works submitted has appeared in one of the languages of the Members of the Council of Europe. For the purposes of the competition, published work or a translation in the case of literary works, and in the case of films and edition or, in its absence, a complete translation of the scenario shall be submitted in one of the official languages of the Council of Europe.
Nominations for entry to the competition may be deposited by any Representative or Substitute to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe provided that the nomination is countersigned b y at least nine other Representatives or Substitutes. Each nomination must be accompanied by thirty copies of the literary work or the scenario in the versions referred to in the previous Article. Nominations must also include the name, address and a short biography of the candidate. They must not be signed or countersigned b y the candidate.
Nominations shall be considered b y the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions (hereinafter referred to as the " Committee " ) , which may be represented by a Sub-Committee of its Members at the first examination of the literary works or scenarios nominated. This Sub-Committee shall report to the Committee on Scientific and Cultural Questions which has the sole power of decision and whose decision is final. The Secretary-General shall be represented on these Committees by the Director of Information attending in an advisory capacity.
7. Method of Entry
Copies of the literary works and scenarios nominated must be forwarded through the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe to the Committee, bound or sewn, postage and all expenses paid, accompanied b y the recommendation referred to in para. 5. These copies shall become the property of the Council of Europe and are not returnable.
The closing date for entries shall be 1st March of each year. Works received after that date can only be considered for the competition in the following year.
The Secretary-General shall forward, as soon as possible, to the Members of the Committee, a copy of each literary work and of each scenario submitted.
A special meeting of the Committee shall be held each year as near as possible to 1st June in order to award the Prize. The final decision must be taken not later than 1st September.
The Prize shall be awarded by the Committee by a simple majority vote of Members present. If no proposal receives the required majority, the Prize for a literary work or film shall not he awarded for the current year.
As regards film scenarios, the Members of the Committee, or of the Sub-Committee, as the case may be, shall notify the Secretary-General each year in writing, not later than 1st August, as to the three scenarios which they consider best among those nominated. The Secretary- General shall inform the directors of the three films whose scenarios have received the largest number of votes and invite them to show these films, without any expense to the Council of Europe, at the special meeting of the Committee referred to in para. 8. The Members of the Committee, after attending the special showing of these films in Strasbourg, shall award the Prize in the same conditions described in para. 8.
Literary works or scenarios which have not received an award may be entered a second time. In this case a new nomination (see para. 5) and a new set of copies of these literary works or scenarios must be submitted. No work may be entered a third time.
Only the prize-winning literary work and film shall be entitled to the description " Council of Europe Prize. "
On notice from the Committee, the Secretary- General shall inform the successful author of the literary work and the successful director of the film of the result and invite them to Strasbourg to receive the Prize. The final decision of the Committee shall be officially communicated to all other candidates by the Secretary-General.
The Prize shall be presented at a public ceremony in the Assembly Hall of the Council of Europe during a Session of the Consultative Assembly, in the presence of Representatives of the Committee of Ministers, Representatives and Substitutes to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, members of the press and members of the public. Invitations to this ceremony may, on the proposal of the Committee or of the Secretary-General also be sent to eminent men of letters, members of academies, the principal actors in the prizewinning film, any other persons who have contributed to the success of the prize-winning works, and any other persons of note.