A Call to Win: Magsaysay Youth Essay Competition Launched

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The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) launches its 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Youth Essay Competition (RMYEC) today with the essay theme “My Favorite Ramon Magsaysay Awardee: Servant Leadership Qualities That Inspire Me.”

Young Filipinos, age 15 to 24, are invited to join this competition, which will run until 30 June 2014. 

Reviving a ten-year-old tradition, RMAF launch this essay-writing competition, a part of the Foundation’s efforts to inspire the youth with living Asian heroes of change, and to encourage them to demonstrate the same kind of servant leadership manifested by President Ramon Magsaysay and the Magsaysay laureates. 

Ramon Magsaysay, who died in a tragic plane crash exactly 57 years ago today, was one of the most beloved presidents of the Philippines. Committed to his pursuit of the common man’s welfare and famously consistent in his practice of honest governance, President Magsaysay’s sudden and tragic death was deeply mourned by his people and by his admirers throughout the world. Fortunately, his legacy of servant leadership has been enshrined in the Ramon Magsaysay Award—now Asia’s premier prize and highest honor—which has been bestowed on remarkable individuals like him, for their greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in service to the peoples of Asia.

This year’s essay-writing theme focuses on the personal reflections of the young writer about a Magsaysay awardee of his/her choice, and the specific leadership qualities reflected in the chosen laureate’s life and work which are most personally inspiring.

The RMYEC has two categories:

Level 1 for youth between 15 and 18 years old;

Level 2 for youth between 19 and 24 years old. 

Contestants are required to register and submit their essays through the RMYEC online registration and submission portal. A contestant may register and submit an essay only once.

All essays submitted for the competition must be original, unpublished, written in English, and between 500-800 words in length. Work already published on any medium (including online magazines, blogs, etc.) may not be entered in the RMYEC. Essays which have won in previous contests may also not be entered. Deadline for the submission of entries is on June 30, 2014. 

Winners for each competition level will be announced at an appropriate awarding ceremony; they will also receive IT prizes (laptops, smartphones, and tablets) and have the special privilege of interacting with this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awardees.

For further clarification, please contact Ms. Kiel Fernandez, RMAF Advocacy Officer, at 521-3166 to 75 loc. 189, or email inquiries to rmyec@rmaf.or.ph. 

For updates on the competition, regularly visit RMAF’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rmafoundation, or its Twitter account at @rmafoundation.

Chile Launches "Smiles for the World", A Filipino Photo Essay Contest on Calidad Humana

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“Smiles for the World”, whose Spanish origin is, 

“Sonrisas para el Mundo”

The Embassy of Chile, the University of Santo Tomas, and the University of Asia and the Pacific organized and concluded the first “Calidad Humana” national narrative essay writing competition entitled “Breaking the Ground: A Life Well Spent” held last year.  More than 150 entries were received from students, ages 15 to 30, all over the country. From the 150 entries, a preliminary panel of judges selected 30 entries, which went through final judging in order to select the three (3) essays whose subject persons of the corresponding narrative were deemed most representative of the Filipino strength of character, resiliency, and cheerfulness.

The wealth of good to excellent essays from the first competition has encouraged the organizers to hold a second competition, for school year 2012-2013, “Smiles for the World”.

“Smiles for the World” competition involves photos depicting the Filipino capacity to manage life’s challenges with elegance, cheerfulness, fortitude, and an unmistakable expression of these human qualities in one’s countenance and demeanor. The number of organizers has been expanded to include, joining the Embassy of Chile, UST, and UA&P, the Embassy of Brazil, University of the Philippines, the Ateneo University, the De La Salle University, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Coca-Cola Philippines, McDonald’s, and The Philippine Star.

From the Spanish origin “Sonrisas para el Mundo”, “Smiles for the World” is  intended to showcase through the medium of photography and a short essay the delight of the Filipino smile as an expression of such human qualities as friendship, spirit of peace, steadfastness, open-mindedness, nobility of character, gutsiness, cheerfulness, optimism, sporting spirit, fortitude, magnanimity, resilience, endurance, and many others that portray a culture of excellence in the family, in school, at work, in the immediate community, and in society at large.

The cash awards are US$ 1,000 for first place; US$ 600 for second place; and $ 400 for third place. For more information, please visit http://projectch.com.