Royal Commonwealth Society Competitions 2012

The Royal Commonwealth Society’s annual Young Commonwealth Competitions encourage young people to use writing, film and photography to respond creatively to global challenges.

2012 marks the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her 60th year as Head of the Commonwealth. To celebrate this very special occasion, for one year only, all entries into our Young Commonwealth Competitions will become part of the world’s biggest history project, the Commonwealth Jubilee Time Capsule. Take part in our competitions in 2012 and your entry will join 22,000 others – one for each day that Her Majesty has been Head of the Commonwealth – in the Capsule. Your memories - the untold stories of millions of ordinary and extraordinary lives - are the story of the modern Commonwealth.

Young Commonwealth Competitions
In 2012, all our competitions will be based on the Commonwealth theme, ‘Connecting Cultures’. All entries must relate to a single day in the last 60 years since Her Majesty ascended to the throne on 6th February 1952. All entries must be your own original work. Every year, over 50,000 young people take part in this prestigious awards scheme. Our Young Commonwealth Competitions come with some great prizes, and in 2012 you’ll be eligible for Jubilee Time Capsule prizes too!

DEADLINE for all competitions: 1ST MAY 2012

Run by the RCS since 1883, this is the world’s oldest and largest schools’ writing competition. To enter, you must be aged 18 or under on 1st May 2012. You must also be a national of, or living in, a Commonwealth country. On the first page of your entry, please write your name, age, topic number and the date you have chosen to write about.

How do I enter? To enter the essay competition, you must pick a day between 6th February 1952 and the present. Then, using one of the topics in the grey box as your inspiration, tell us about what happened on that day. You might like to think about why that day was important to you, your family, or your community. The event must not be fictional, but we encourage you to be creative in the way you share the story.
commonwealth essay competition

Pick a day From 6th February 1952 to the present.

Then, using one of the topics below, tell us about what happened!

1. The day I wore my best clothes.
2. A feast or a festival.
3. An interview with an adult about a significant day in their life.
4. A day's journey.
5. A birth OR a wedding OR a funeral.
6. My response to an event that made the news headlines.
7. A sporting event.
8. The day I met my hero/heroine.

How long should my essay be? If you are aged between 14 and 18 on 1st May 2012, please write between 1,200 and 1,750 words. If you are aged under 14 on 1st May 2012, please write between 300 and 700 words.

PRIZES
Thousands of young people from around the world enter every year, but the winners are often those picking up a camera or putting pen to paper for the first time. What we look for is a creative spark, a unique insight or a bold idea.

In 2012, all essays, photos and films will be entered into the Jubilee Time Capsule. For one year only, your chance of winning a prize is doubled!

By entering the Young Commonwealth Competitions, you could:

• See your Jubilee Time Capsule entry presented to Her Majesty the Queen in 2012.
• Win a certificate, cash or photographic equipment.
• Win resources for your school.
• Be flown to London.
• Be invited to meet famous authors, film directors and photographers; take part in expert workshops to learn new skills; and do work experience at international organisations.
• See your entry exhibited around the Commonwealth and featured in worldwide media.

How to submit your entries

Online: Please upload your entries to www.thercs.org/youth/competitions
By post: Each postal entry must be accompanied by an entry form

Directly to us: FAO Young Commonwealth Competitions, 25 Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5AP, UK

Americas/Caribbean: FAO Young Commonwealth Competitions, The British Council, 19 St. Clair Avenue, St. Clair, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Africa: FAO Young Commonwealth Competitions, Baobab College, PO Box 350099, Chilanga, Zambia. OR, FAO Young Commonwealth Competitions, The British High Commission, P.O Box 296, Accra, Ghana

Asia: FAO Young Commonwealth Competitions, The British High Commission, 185 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Pacific: FAO Young Commonwealth Competitions, The British High, Commission, PO Box 1812, Wellington 6140, New Zealand

CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: youth@thercs.org

For submissions: click here

Website: http://www.thercs.org/

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Journalism Competition: Young People, Farming and Food

In the run-up to our international conference on Young People, Farming and Food in March, we are running a competition to find the best media reporting in Africa on young people and agriculture.

This competition aims to encourage young and early career journalists and media specialists (between ages 18-40) to investigate the challenges and opportunities associated with young people’s engagement in agriculture, to showcase success stories and best practices that can be replicated, and to raise awareness on the important role of young people in agriculture and rural development.

The competition is open to all media and communication professionals (either print, broadcast or electronic) who are nationals of African states and are from established media houses, private and public sector organisations (e.g. government ministries), and non-governmental organisations including farmer organisations. Either printed or audio entries are invited.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Future Agricultures Consortium (FAC), in collaboration with the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, is organising an international conference to debate research findings and policy options around the theme “Young People, Farming & Food: the Future of the Agrifood Sector in Africa.” The conference will take place 19-21 March 2012 in Accra, Ghana. See http://www.future-agricultures.org/events/young-people-farming-a-food for further information.

This competition aims to encourage young and early career journalists and media specialists (between ages 18-40) to investigate the challenges and opportunities associated with young people’s engagement in agriculture, to showcase success stories and best practices that can be replicated, and to raise awareness on the important role of young people in agriculture and rural development.

The competition is open to all media and communication professionals (either print, broadcast or electronic) who are nationals of African states and are from established media houses, private and public sector organisations (e.g. government ministries), and non-governmental organisations including farmer organisations.

Entries should be original pieces and demonstrate realities on the ground. The piece should be based on case studies/information from the country or region in which the journalist/media specialist operates. Applicants must submit their entry in English only by email. Entries should be submitted to post@wrenmedia.co.uk and copied to info@future-agricultures.org

Your journalistic piece must reach the organisers by no later than February 23, 2012 to be considered for inclusion in the competition.

COMPETITION THEMES
In Africa, policy interest in the linking young people to agriculture focuses almost exclusively on the challenge of keeping young people in rural areas and engaged in farming. This approach ignores important drivers, trends and developments that are impacting on both young people’s aspirations and the structure of the agrifood sector. In the coming years the agrifood sector in Africa will undergo significant transformation that will result in both challenges and opportunities for young people, depending on who and where they are. Perhaps most importantly, the agrifood sector will become an increasingly important source of formal employment for young people, with a significant expansion of employment opportunities in food marketing, processing, retail, catering, research, input sales etc. These jobs will generally require higher levels of education and different skills, and many will be located in or near urban areas.

Your journalistic piece should correspond to one or more of the three main crosscutting themes of the Conference:

1. Education and training: Investment in human resource development is crucial for the growth of a modern, dynamic agrifood sector. Agriculture has had a place in rural primary and secondary school curricula for many years, and throughout Africa there are university departments covering all aspects of agriculture and food science. Are these education and training activities presently delivering the kind and quality of teaching and learning that will transform the agrifood sector? What is the evidence that they are motivating young people and preparing them for careers in the agrifood sector? Are there examples of particularly innovative approaches to curriculum development and delivery? What are the good/best practices or failures in practice or policy? What are the knowledge gaps and what research is needed to fill them?

2. Micro-enterprise development: Under- and unemployment of rural youth in sub-Saharan Africa is high and carries significant personal, social and economic costs. One common response on the part of policy makers and development organisations is to promote job creation through micro-enterprise development within the agrifood sector. What is the evidence that the training and micro-credit associated with these programmes results in sustainable employment? How
important is access to markets and other infrastructure for the success of these projects? Which young people are best placed to benefit from these programmes? What are the success stories or failures in practice or policy? What are the knowledge gaps and what research is needed to fill them?

3. The youth bulge - the salvation of African agriculture? The 'youth bulge' - that is, the high proportions of young people in the African population - can be seen as an opportunity as much as a threat. In particular, young people are sometimes seen as the salvation of the agricultural sector which, across the continent, is the primary source of employment, food and income. Do rural policies coincide with the aspirations of young people? What aspects of the agrifood industry broadly (from on-farm activity to off-farm businesses) are young people interested in? For those young people already involved in the agrifood sector - as entrepreneurs, as employees - what do they hope to gain from their involvement in the sector? How does the propensity for young people to migrate and/or move back and forth between urban and rural spaces affect the way agriculture features in their lives?

ENTRY CONDITIONS

Each candidate will submit only one print (in word doc or docx format) or audio piece (in mp3 format) from any African country. Any accompanying photos for print articles should be sent as jpegs. The title and the name of the author should be clearly written on the cover page to the piece, or details included in email with audio piece. The deadline for receipt of submissions is 17 February, 2012. Note: if you have difficulty submitting your audio piece by email, you can use
YouSendit (www.yousendit.com) or a similar free internet service. All applications should submit a short biographical note including name and full contact details; email address, telephone number(s), postal address, town, country, and a scanned photocopy of the applicant’s identification card or passport (as proof of age). Entries received after 17 February will not be considered. Notification of approved selections will be announced on Monday 5th March,
2012.

SELECTION PROCESS
A panel of judges from Future Agriculture Youth theme and Communication Coordinator,
WRENmedia, and the media will review entries and make their recommendations to the International Steering Committee for the Conference. The pieces should demonstrate that the author(s) understand the issues as well as the potential of young people in agricultural and rural development. The main selection criteria for the pieces are:

• Originality and quality of analysis;
• Creativity;
• Relevance and responsiveness to development challenges;
• Quality of language (engaging writing style, good spelling and grammar, etc.);
• Presence of bibliography and/or other relevant references;
• Respect of the prescribed format:
♦ Number of words/duration - Print: max 1,200 words. Audio pieces should not exceed 5 minutes.
♦ Print format: Font : Arial size 11 - Line spacing: 1.5
• NB: Additional points will be awarded to journalist/media specialists whose pieces are published or broadcasted in national, regional or international news outlets before the deadline for submission. The date of publication must be included on the submission as only original pieces that have been prepared after the announcement of this call will be considered.

AWARDS AND PRIZES

The best print and best audio journalistic piece will be selected using established criteria. The top two finalists will be announced on March 5, 2012 by email or phone. These two finalists will be fully supported to attend the international conference on Young People, Farming & Food at the University of Ghana, Accra. They will also each be awarded with a certificate of recognition during the conference. In addition, they will be invited to report on sessions during the conference. Besides the winning entries, the top ten selected pieces will be published and promoted regionally, internationally and on the FAC website.

ADDITIONAL RULES
FAC reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it does not meet the contest criteria and present regulations;

♦ By entering, participants warrant that their print/audio materials are original and do not infringe on any third party's rights;
♦ Entry to the contest constitutes an agreement to allow FAC to make articles/audio pieces, name, occupation and state of residence of applicants, public.
♦ In addition it constitutes an agreement to allow FAC to use the material in its publications and in the framework of promotional activities. Applicants will retain ownership and all other rights to future use of their texts;
♦ FAC will not be able to return submitted articles / audio to their authors;
♦ If, for any reason, the competition is not completed as planned, FAC reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend it; ♦ The decisions made by the panel of judges are final and beyond dispute;
♦ All participants in this competition implicitly accept the rules presented in this document.


CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: info@future-agricultures.org
For submissions: post@wrenmedia.co.uk and copied to info@future-agricultures.org
Website: http://www.future-agricultures.org

Source: The Bookaholic blog

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Young Journalists Award 2011: Call for entries

Nominations are invited for the 5th Nigeria Young Journalist Awards 2011 from media organisations and individuals. The award, initiated by media career services, a media training and consultancy outfit dedicated to the development of the carer of journalists in Nigeria, is to recognise and encourage young journalists in the country.

A judging board made up of top media professionals will choose winners of the awards who will get media career enhancing prizes.

Awards Categories For The Year 2011 Are:
A. Young Journalist of the year 2011.
B. Student Journalist of the year 2011.
C. Mass Communication Department Journal of the year 2011.

Submission Of Entries

Interested journalists for category (A) should have a maximum of three (3) years journalism experience and must not be older than 30 by December 2011.

They must submit three (3) of their published or broadcast work between January and December 2011. For entries for the print category, entrants should photocopy their works into four (4) sets while entrants from the broadcast should also submit three duplicates of their works on compact disk, the synopsis of such works should also come in four (4) sets.

Such entries must be supported with a nomination letter from the journalist’s editor or supervisor and curriculum vitae (also in 4 set).

For category B, entries must be a student of a tertiary institution with active participation in campus journalism. He or she must have at least three published or broadcast work in campus or other medium focusing on campus issues between January and December 2011. Sample of the published works should be photocopied into four (4) places.

A nomination letter by relevant authorities and curriculum vitae is required. These should also come in four (4) places.

For category C, submitted training newspaper/magazines of Mass Communication departments will be assessed on the basis of content and production quality. A nomination letter by Editorial Advisers will be required. Samples should be in four (4) sets.

ENTRIES SHOULD BE SENT TO:
The programme coordinator,
Young Journalist Awards 2011,
Media Career Services,
C/O International Press Centre,
11, Dideolu Court, Dideolu Estate,
Off Ijaiye Road, by Sweet Sensation,
Ogba, Lagos.
Tell: 08033374017, 08023000621, 08023626281

Closing date:
All entries must be received on or before Friday 17th February 2012.

Organised by:
Media Career Services
Publishers of Stop Press, the career moulding newsletter for journalists.
www.mediacareerng.org

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YORUBA LITERATURE WRITING COMPETITION

SOCIETY OF YOUNG NIGERIAN WRITERS

In collaboration with

AFRICAN HERITAGE RESEARCH LIBRARY AND CULTURAL CENTRE

YORUBA LITERATURE WRITING COMPETITION

For Writers using Yoruba Language to write between the ages of 15 and 40.
The competition is organized by the Society to rekindle the interest of Young Writers writing in Yoruba language in Nigeria. Also to motivate and encourage writing in indigenous languages among young Nigerian Writers. The competition promises to be an exciting display of Yoruba Culture, Traditions, Norms and Values.

Prizes to be won include

• Fagunwa Prize for Prose Writing – 20,000
• Prof. Akinwunmi Ishola Prize for Drama – 20,000
• Tunbosun Oladapo Prize Poetry – 10,000
• Dr. Adebayo Faleti Prize for Drama – 20,000
• Elder Supo Kosemani Prize for Poetry – 10,000

Conditions of entry
1. The competition is opened to anyone aged 15-40
2. Works should be in Yoruba Language, unpublished and not currently submitted

or accepted  for future  publication
3. They must not previously have been awarded a prize in any competition nor

may be simultaneously entered for any competition other than this one.
4. Works must be your own original work.

5. Works must be on a separate sheet of A4 size, which must not bear your name,

class, age and school.
6. No entry form is required but on a separate sheet of A4 you should show your

name, address, title of the work submitted  and please tell us where you heard

about the competition.
7. Entry should be sent to the following e-mail:  societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com. The

closing date is 1^st of March, 2011, as results will be sent out in April 1^st, 2012.

8. The Judge’s decision will be final; no correspondence can be entered into
10. Unfortunately, submitted works cannot be returned so remember to keep a copy.

Wole Adedoyin
National President
08072673852

For more information, click here.

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Introducing NETAD National Essay Competition

From the words of Sidney J. Harris, ‘Ninety per cent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves’.


Network for Talent Discovery is therefore initiating its first national essay competition to tackle the menace of self misery, and calls on students, youths, administrators, writers, public servants and all stake holders to play their role in fighting the menace as stated by Sidney J. Harris and participate in the competition.

The topic for deliberation is ‘Self discovery; an impetus to national development’.

To participate, write an essay of not more than 750 words on the above topic. Send a copy of the essay and personal details – typed in Microsoft Word – to netad.ngo@gmail.com.

Please note that personal details should include surname, first name and other names, detailed address, date of birth, age, gender, state of origin, local government area, contact phone number. For students and undergraduates, please include the name of your school/ institution, course of study, department and faculty, present year or level of study, name of H.O.D and other relevant details.

Entry closes on Saturday, 12th November, 2011.

Winners will be notified and awarded at the NETAD National Youth Forum, Abeokuta edition.

For further enquires, text +234 (0) 7039563908, +234 (0) 8033184381, +234 (0) 8031336740 or mail netad.ngo@gmail.com

Fb: Network for Talent Discovery (NETAD) or click here.

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