Dear colleagues, we are thrilled to announce that the winners of the EVALPARTICIPATIVA AWARD FOR ACADEMIC PRODUCTION have been selected.
We put out the call for papers at the end of 2021 with the aim of deepening academic and scientific knowledge concerning participatory evaluation as part of a wider approach of inclusive evaluation that is relevant to the 2030 Agenda.
The call was open for four months, during which time we received a variety of theoretical and empirical papers. Most of the papers prioritised an empirical approach, providing new elements for action-based reflection on participatory evaluation approaches, addressing case studies or comparing initiatives developed in the region.
The panel of judges and their scoring criteria
The members of the panel judging this award were Ada Ocampo, Gabriela Pérez Yarahuan, Osvaldo Feinstein and Riccardo Polastro; all of whom are outstanding professionals in the field of evaluation at a global level, with extensive experience and expertise in the subject matter of the competition.
To select the best three papers, the following criteria were taken into account, that the papers
address the reality of participatory evaluation in the region,- represent a concrete contribution or proposal of new knowledge in the field of participatory evaluation, and
- that they show a clear approach to the problem, demonstrating conceptual and methodological rigour in the analysis.
The winning entries
It was a great challenge for the judges to come up with the three winning entries, which are presented below:
Paper A: EVALUATION WITH PARTICIPATION. THE INCLUSION OF ALL PARTICIPANTS, THE OPENNESS TO CHANGE AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLIC POLICIES. Authors: Mónica Ballescá and Selene Michi
Paper B: EVALUATION OF THE URBAN MOBILITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN FOR THE HISTORIC CENTRE OF MERIDA. Authors: Jorge Luis Avilés Lizama, Wismar Joao Soberanis Cabrera y Alvin Ricardo Acosta Magaña
Paper C. PARTICIPATORY EVALUATION OF TEACHER TRAINING PROCESSES TO ENHANCE ITS PROFESSIONALISATION IN EL SALVADOR. Authors: Néstor Iván Moreno Velásquez and Norma Eunice Alfaro Amaya
The award
The three winning papers will be sponsored to participate in the next conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Monitoring, Evaluation and Systematization (ReLAC), to be held at the end of 2022. The conference registration, travel and accommodation expenses of one person per winning paper will be covered.
In order to share these significant contributions with the region, we will publish the three papers in an EvalParticipativa online publication. In addition, the authors will receive specific guidelines for the publication of these papers in the form of an article in an academic journal on evaluation issues relevant to Latin America.
On behalf of the entire EvalParticipativa coordination team and the panel of judges in charge of evaluating the entries, we express our sincere congratulations to all those who participated in the call for papers and especially to those who have been awarded the EVALPARTICIPATIVA AWARD FOR ACADEMIC PRODUCTION. Congratulations!