The first of three Essay Writing competitions will start in April 2019.
The topic for this first competition is: The ninth principle of the Arya Samaj.
Competition details:
Starting date for submissions: April 20, 2019
Closing date for submissions: June 20, 2019
Age requirements: This competition is open to anyone who is 25 years or younger as of April 30 2019, regardless of religious or other background.
Prize: The best essay will be awarded G$100,000 or US$500.00.
Sponsor
The Mahadeo Foundation is the sponsor of this Essay Writing competition. Collaborative bodies include: The Berbice Central Arya Samaj, and Hindus Unite for Guyana.
The winner’s Prize is donated by The Rambrich Family
Submission details
Electronic submissions ONLY. Send your completed essay, in English Language, in Microsoft Word format, as an attachment to the mahadeofoundation@gmail.com.
Guidelines
Essay should be between 1,000 and 3,000 words. Significantly longer essays will not be considered. Essays will not be returned.
All entries will be checked for plagiarism. Plagiarised submissions will be rejected and the participant banned from future competitions. Essays must be the original work of the entrant and specifically written for this Contest.
The essay should be reflective of the ninth principle of the Arya Samaj which states that No one should be contented with his or her own progress but should look for his or her progress in the progress of others.
Essays will be judged on the basis of clarity, quality of the thinking they reflect, parallels that are drawn, inferences and references to the Vedas and other scriptures as well as to the works of Maharishi Swami Dayanand Saraswati.
Judges will be looking for essays that reveal that the writer has considered the context of the topic in relation to the ten principles of the Arya Samaj, the role and objective of the Arya Samaj and the vision contained therein.
All entries are final. No revisions are accepted.
Submission format
Font: your essay should be word processed in 12-point Times New Roman font.
Spacing: The entire essay should be double spaced. There should be no single spacing or extra spacing anywhere. There should be no extra spaces between paragraphs.
Margins: Your essay should have a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, left and right.
Page numbers: page numbers should be bottom right of each page.
Indentation: The first line of each paragraph should be indented at ½ inch or five spaces (one tab).
Alignment: The body of your essay should be aligned left.
Personal details: Your personal details should be on the front cover of your submission along with the title of the essay. Personal details must include: Your name in full, mailing address and telephone number. Finalists will be required to provide evidence that they are 25 years or younger. A scanned copy of your PP/ID/BC will be required.
General Prize Conditions
The potential Winner shall be required to sign the Prize Claim Documents which will include an Affidavit of Eligibility, Release of Liability and Prize Acceptance Form. If the Winner fails or refuses to sign and return the Prize Claim Documents within three (3) days of prize notification, the Winner may be disqualified. Prizes are not transferable and not assignable. The Winner shall be solely responsible for all taxes and fees or costs associated with the prize, including but not limited to any sort of income tax.
Conditions of participation
By participating, each entrant agrees to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor. All expenses involved in preparing and submitting an entry are the sole responsibility of the entrant. Sponsor is not responsible for errors or for lost, late, or misdirected mail or email, or telecommunication or hardware or software failures, including by reason of any bug or computer virus or other failure. Sponsor may cancel, modify or terminate the Contest if it is not capable of completion as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, tampering, unauthorized intervention, force majeure or technical difficulties of any kind.
Rights
Participants retain ownership of materials submitted to the Competition. However, by submitting an essay to the Competition, participants hereby grant the Sponsor and its affiliates, subsidiaries, licensees and assigns, an irrevocable, perpetual and royalty-free right to use, reproduce, edit, display, transmit, prepare derivative works of, modify, publish and otherwise make use of the submitted essay in any and all media, whether now known or hereafter created, throughout the world and for any purpose. Where practical, the essay will be attributed to the author.
In addition, by submitting any essay or other content to the Competition, participants hereby represent and warrant that the submitted materials do not and shall not infringe on any copyright or other right of any third party, and that the participant has the right to grant any and all rights and licences granted to the Sponsor herein, including but not limited to all necessary rights under copyright, free and clear of any claims or encumbrances.
Release
Acceptance of a prize constitutes the Winner’s permission for the Sponsors to use prize winner’s name and likeness, associated with the purpose(s) of the competition, for advertising and/or promotional purposes worldwide and in all forms of media in perpetuity without further compensation or authorisation. Participants agree that the Sponsors and its affiliates, and their officers, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Sponsoring Entities”), shall not be responsible for any losses, damages or injuries of any kind resulting from participation in the Competition or from Participants’ acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of any prize. Participants also agree that the Sponsoring Entities have not made and shall not in any manner be liable for any warranty, guarantee, or representation, whether express or implied, with respect to any prize, including without limitation, the prize’s quality or fitness for a particular purpose. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Competition, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or who otherwise takes actions that do or are intended to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition. The Sponsor also reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any entry containing any obscene, offensive or otherwise inappropriate comments or other matter. Further, the Sponsor assumes no liability, and shall not be liable, for typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of the Competition including, without limitation, errors in the printing or display of the offer and official rules, selection, notification and announcement of winners.
Governing Law
All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules shall be governed and construed in accordance with the Laws of Guyana.
For more details call +592 222 2042 or write to mahadeofoundation@gmail.com
UPDATE – JUNE 2019
A number of appeals have been made to us to extend the deadline due to the clash with examination for many students.
Consequently, we have agreed to extend the time to August 20, 2019.
