Unveiling Africa 2010 Essay Contest

In view of the relegation of teenagers to the background when articulating developmental strategies for Nigeria by the Nigerian government, Unveiling Africa Foundation (“UVA”) presents a Lagos – wide, teenager – centered, essay competition.

This competition is part of a series of events organized by UVA with the view of involving secondary school students in the commemoration of Nigeria’s golden jubilee and the development of the country. Timely in its staging, this essay competition comes up at a time when poor WAEC and NECO examinations performances of students call for a revitalization of our educational system.

UVA is poised to championing a reform of in country by engaging the major stakeholders – the students/teenagers. To this end, the following topics are for the contest:
The topics of the essays are:

1. Nigeria of 50, Nigeria of my dreams.
2. What is the role of secondary students in the development of Nigeria?

Junior secondary school students will write on topic (a) and senior secondary school students will write on topic (b). The essay must be in English and topic (a) must be between 250 – 500 words and topic (b) between 500 – 1500 words.

Topic (a) essay will be judged on the following criteria:

• Content (creativity and originality)
• Organization
• Grammar and Spelling

Topic (b) essay will be judged on the following criteria:

• Understanding of the issue
• Supporting Evidence
• Persuasiveness
• Quality of Language

Eligibility:
The competition is open to students of Nigerian citizenship attending either junior or senior secondary school in Nigeria as of July 30, 2010. While residency is paramount, citizenship is not a criteria.

Entries:
The last date of the entry is July 30, 2010. Essays will be submitted to teacher/staff helping to co-ordinate the essay competition as they will be collected from schools.

Institutions shall compile essays to be easily picked up the week of August 2nd – August 6th (excluding weekends), If alternate arrangements need to be made, please call Program Manager – 07025755455

Prizes:

• 1st Prize = ₦150, 000 Scholarship
• 2nd Prize = ₦100, 000 Scholarship
• 3rd Prize = ₦50, 000 Scholarship
• 4th – 10th Prize = Unveiling Africa Certificate of Participation
  Invitation to networking dinner with The Future Awards Alumni Network and other role model Nigerians.

Teachers of winning students will receive an honorary mention and token at the UVA Independence conference in October 2010. All participating schools will be included in the UVA honorary school roll.

Other Terms and Conditions:

1. The entry should be original and should not have been published earlier.
2. Essays submissions maybe handwritten or typed (12 point Times New Roman) and doubled spaced.
3. Essays should not include your name or any personal identifiers such as school, signature, etc. This is to eliminate bias at the marking stages. Please ensure your name is on the registration form attached to the essay.
4. All references and materials from other sources should be duly acknowledged.
5. The entries will be examined by an independent panel of judges appointed by the Unveiling Africa Programs Department. The Board of Directors will determine the top 3 essays in each category. The decision of the judges shall be final.
6. Proof of current registration such as a copy of transcript, letter of enrollment showing school enrollment before or by July 30th 2010 may be required.

>>Download Essay contest registration forms and guidelines