Student Essay Competition [Enter the competition here]

Student Essay Competition. The competition will award one (1) undergraduate student prize of US$10,000 and one (1) graduate student prize of US$20,000. The submission deadline is Nov., 15, 2008 at midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST). Winners will be announced on February 7, 2009

Essay Instructions

Great leaders require great followers. They create a vision imbued with moral purpose, tension, insight; and they open hearts and minds to that vision by embodying the personal values consistent with that vision, and by being eloquent.

Please review the videos called, “The Entrepreneur President, Paul Kagame of Rwanda,” Parts One and Two (available upon registration) For purposes of this essay, assume the role of policy advisor to President Kagame, and consider these videos your personal briefing on his top priorities. In response, write a 2000 word essay with policy recommendations that put President Kagame’s vision into practice. The essay should use the first person, and be persuasive. The introductory sentence might even begin, “Your Excellency, I understand your vision and here are my policy recommendations.”

As further background to inform this essay on policy you may review Michael Fairbanks’ called”Changing the Mind of a Nation” (also available upon registration), though that is not necessary. The essay need not be comprehensive, but should focus on key policies. Your recommendations should not be purely ideological nor a regurgitation of conventional wisdom. Rather, we encourage you to formulate an original, practical and integrated set of policies for Rwanda that focus on Enterprise Solutions to Poverty. The essay should address specific policy recommendations in some or all of the following areas²:

• Monetary policy

• Fiscal Policy

• Direct Foreign Investment policy

• Trade policy

• Sectoral Policy

• Wage Policy

The winners will be announced on February 7. 2009. We intend to personally present the winning paper(s) to His Excellency, President Paul Kagame, and his cabinet for their review. The winning essays may be published in selected magazines and publications. Organizer intends to publish a selection of all submitted essays on its website and in an essay book. By entering the essay competition, students are understood to give their permission for their essay to be used in that fashion.
Organizer intends to run a version of this competition annually.

Questions & Answers

What is the essay question?

The question for both the undergraduate and the graduate student essay competition is: “View the videos ‘The Entrepreneur President, Paul Kagame of Rwanda’ and write a 2000 word policy paper that puts President Kagame’s vision into practice.”

How do I submit my essay?

• Submit your essay electronically in a MS Word or PDF format only using the submission form on http://www.dtcnigeria.org/sec website. All information requested, including contact information, abstract, and essay should be included in a single document.

• Every essay MUST, in addition to the actual essay, include a 100 word abstract at the beginning of the document.
  Along with the submission, you need to include the following information:

Along with the submission, you need to include the following information:

• Your full name and mailing address, a contact telephone number and your academic email.

• Your degree-level and field of study.

• Your University’s name, official address and main telephone number; and the name, phone number and email address of someone we may contact at the university (Faculty member, Department Chair, or registrar) to verify that you are enrolled as a full time student.

• A brief one paragraph biography of the author(s)
  Why has the Organizer selected the short essay format for this competition?

Why has the Organizer selected the short essay format for this competition?
We believe that the short essay format is a powerful and underutilized mechanism in development thinking. It is a versatile medium that requires succinct, insightful writing that can be published in multiple venues. Winners of SEC’s previous essay competition have been published on the website. In addition, the 2008 graduate winner will be published in a forthcoming book.

Does the Organizer have a preferred philosophical or scientific agenda?
We see a number of experts who opine about poverty and prosperity: i.e., macroeconomists, businessmen, educators, political scientists, social scientists, etc. We rarely see enough integration, where the experts of one domain borrow insights from another, and attempt to create an even more robust intellectual framework. We intend to foster this kind of integration, at the level of thought leader and practitioner.

Does the Organizer have any guidance to students preparing essays?Essays should be original works that directly address the topic as outlined. We strongly discourage students from repurposing papers from college courses or analysis conducted on another country. Repurposed papers are easy to spot, and lack the integration and insight necessary to win the competition.

Who qualifies to compete in the Organizer Student Essay Competition?
Any full time student who studies at an accredited educational institution worldwide or a student who has been confirmed acceptance and matriculation for the following academic year may submit a 2000 word Essay in English to compete in the Organizer competition as long as the essay reflects the scope and guidelines stated in the call for essays. The winning students will be required to enter into a contract with Organizer prior to final award. We welcome applicants from every field of study.

How long should the essay be?
Essays may not exceed 2000 words and must be written in English. Students may write an essay of less than 2000 words. Do not forget that you MUST submit a 100 word abstract along with your essay.

What is the 100 word abstract?
We ask you to submit, along with your essay a 100 word abstract which states the essence of what your paper is about. This is a very useful process for both the writer and the reader as it forces the writer to concisely state his or her point and it allows the reader to enter the reading of the essay with a better understanding of the idea and subject matter.

Do Undergrad and Graduate Students compete with each other?
No, Undergraduate and Graduate Students, while writing on the same question, compete in separate groups.

Are there any restrictions on the prize money? What may the prize money be used for?
The prize money is intended for use at an accredited academic institution for the winning student’s education. Organizer will release the money directly to the educational institution or a student loan provider, not directly to the winning student.

How will essays be judged?
All essays that comply with the call for essay rules will undergo a competitive process of a confidential jury review. Expert Organizer jurors will evaluate and rank the essays according to the criteria described in the call for essays. The winning students will be required to enter into a contract with Organizer prior to final award.

Can I submit multiple essays?
No, each student may only submit one essay.

Can I collaborate with another student?
You may decide to submit an essay together with another student, but the prize money is per essay, not per student. The two (or more) of you would share the prize.

What if I am unable to submit my application electronically?
Only applications submitted through this form on our website are accepted. If you encounter problems,
please contact Organizer at sec@dtcnigeria.org

How is Organization financed?
This call for essays is supported initially by a generous grant from Foundations. Organizer intends to run a version of this essay competition annually.

What sort of legal organization is Organizer?
Organizer is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
What if I have additional questions?

You may send your questions to sec@dtcnigeria.org

Important Dates
· Deadline for Essay submission: Midnight Eastern Standard Time, November 15, 2008
· Student Essay Award Announcements: February 7, 2009 Acceptable Use of Prize Monies
· Full Time Tuition
· University/School Housing (only if it is to be paid directly to the University or School)
· Payment against Student Loans

Terms and Conditions:
The Organizer has sole and absolute discretion to determine which submission entries, if any, merit an award. The Organizer reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to change, modify, extend or reduce the terms and conditions of, or to suspend or terminate, the competition without prior notice. Organizer will endeavour to inform participants of any such change, modification, extension, reduction, suspension or termination, as the case may be, through any media outlet deemed appropriate by Organizer in its sole and absolute discretion. Organizer further reserves the right to nullify and/or cancel any part or all of the competition if it appears that any fraud or malfunctions have occurred in any form whatsoever. Each participant undertakes to indemnify and keep Organizer harmless from and against any loss, damage, claims, costs and expenses which may be incurred by or asserted against Organizer as a result of such participant's participation in the competition

Enter the competition here