National Essay Competition 2012

ESSAY COMPETITION 2012

Introduction
The New Zealand High Commission, Suva, and the Fiji Association in Auckland Incorporated are pleased to offer an essay competition in Term I of 2012 to Fiji secondary school students.
The competition is open to students in Forms 5 to 7 who are currently attending a registered secondary school in Fiji. Entries MUST be submitted through the school. Entries should be sent to the High Commission, with a completed registration form signed by the school principal or a designated teacher such as the Head of English Department.

Topics for 2012
Either
What my school culture can offer Fiji
Or
Cultural Links between Fiji and New Zealand

Only one entry per student will be accepted.
Essays should be presented in the English language. The length of an essay should not exceed 1500 words. A word count should be indicated at the end of the essay. Entries can be computer generated or hand written neatly, on one side of the paper only. The student’s age and current attendance level (eg Form 6) should be clearly indicated.
Essays cannot be returned.

Prizes
There are four categories of winners this year.
Category 1 CERTIFICATE OF DISTINCTION
Two overall winners will be selected to receive Certificates of Distinction, Trophies and cash prizes of F$1000 each.
Category 2 CERTIFICATE OF COMMENDATION
Three winners will each receive a Certificate of Commendation and cash prizes of F$500
Category 3 CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE
Five winners will each receive a Certificate of Excellence and cash prizes of F$300
Category 4 CERTIFICATE OF MERIT
Five winners will each receive a Certificate of Merit and cash prizes of F$200
The total prize pool is F$6000.

Notification and Prize Giving
Winners will be notified through their schools. They will be invited to a Prize- Giving reception hosted by the New Zealand High Commission in Suva. School representatives and parents will also be invited. Some assistance may be given to students who reside outside of Suva in order to travel to the reception. This will be discussed with relevant schools.

Judges
The Judges will be Lady June Hillary, QSM and Dr Satendra Singh, ONZM, QSM, JP.
Their decisions will be final. No correspondence will be entered into regarding this matter. Essays submitted may be used in promotional materials after the competition has concluded. Should this happen, due recognition will be made of the student’s work and school.

Visit to Schools
The Acting High Commissioner and the Judges or their representatives may undertake to visit a few of the schools from where winners emerge. A Plaque will be presented to the schools of the two overall winners. These will be discussed will relevant schools as appropriate.

Entries
The deadline for entries is Friday 20 April 2012. Late entries cannot be accepted.
All participating schools will be sent a Certificate of appreciation at the conclusion of the competition and after the prize giving ceremony.

Contact Person
On all matters relating to the competition, please contact Ms Monika Mala at the New Zealand High Commission, Suva- Email: monika.mala@mfat.govt.nz Tel:3311422 Fax: 3300842
Entries should be sent, with the completed form, to the New Zealand High Commission, G.P O Box 1378, Suva 

Please submit the attached return form together with the entry.

Attachment
Return Form.pdf