The English want the best
In the context of the UK presidency of the EU, the British representation organizes a series of contests for pupils, students and journalists.
The competition for pupils is performed under the title “Romania in the European Union”. Pupils are encouraged to present their own vision on the future of the country in the European area, choosing from a variety of forms for their works. The contest will host photographs, multimedia presentations, as well as painting and sculpture works. Written works will have to be prepared in English. The main criteria will be originality and creativity, therefore, pupils have maximum freedom for expression. Materials presented must be proper creations of the pupils, and the deadline for submitting the works is October the 24th 2005. Competitors must send their full personal data as well (name, age, address and school where they study), to the address of the British Embassy in Bucharest. The winner of the 1st prize will spend a day with the ambassador of Great Britain in Bucharest, Quinton Quayle, but will also receive a digital photo camera and books in English. An electronic diary and books in English will be handed over to the winner of the 2nd prize, and prize 3 will be books in English. All the winners will receive a gift with the logo of the British presidency of the European Union.
The contest for students targets the topic “Romania knows more about the European Union than the European Union knows about Romania”, with the big prize of a three-day trip in the Kingdom. Students in the day studies are invited to send a work with the specified topic by e-mail to
competitions@ines.ro. Materials must be prepared in English and must meet the 3.000 word number limit. Participants must clearly present the relevant aspects and argue their position. The first five finalists will be invited to defend their works in public, and they will be actors in a public debate on the issue of the integration. At the end of the debate, the jury will select the winner of a three day sojourn in Great Britain, the program including visits at the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs and meetings with the team of the British Presidency of the EU within the ministry.
Journalists are the luckiest, since the best among them will spend two weeks in Great Britain. For journalists, the contest has “The impact of European integration on Romania” for topic, and the eligible materials are the ones published or issued in the September 15th- October 15th period. These must be sent to the “Academia Catavencu” Media Monitoring Agency, by October 24th. Journalists may participate with three materials, and the evaluation will be effectuated by a jury made up of media experts, members of the civil society and representatives of the British Embassy in Bucharest. The big prize is a two-week visit in Great Britain, including a training program on European issues in a prestigious British news office. The winners of the second and the third prizes will receive electronic equipment. (I.O.)
