“1 of 7 Billion” Global Film Competition

“1 of 7 Billion” is a global short film competition, organized by the 7 Billion Actions initiative and the Foundation 10.12.48. It is designed to inspire people everywhere to use their talents to explore one of the seven key issues targeted by 7 Billion Actions:

• Poverty and breaking the circle of inequality
• Empowerment and progress of women and girls
• Young people
• Reproductive health and rights
• Healthy environmental and healthy people
• Aging
• Urbanization-planning for growth.

The deadline for submissions is 9pm GMT on February 15^th 2012. Winners will be announced on 8^th March, 2012, which is International Women’s Day.

 

Submission Requirements:

• Films must be in digital form.
• Films should be from 1 to 10 minutes in length, including credits.
• Entries must have English subtitles if presented in another language.
• The author of the piece will be responsible for the originality of the work.
• Each entry must focus on one or more of the 7 key issues of the 7 Billion Actions campaign.
• Each team or individual may submit up to two short films.
• Films must be accompanied by an online entry form.

For more information visit http://www.7billionactions.org/film

2012 Global Youth Video Competition on Education and Skills

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) works to promote policies that are expected to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. OECD is currently inviting video submissions for the 2012 Global Youth Video Competition. Participants are required to send a short video of not more than 3 minutes on the theme of the competition.

 

Competition Theme

Education and Skills – what are the big issues today:

• Learning the right skills to get a job?
• Bridging the ‘digital divide’?
• Tackling inequality in access to education and training?
• Inspiring creativity and innovation?

 

The Prize

The video author (or a nominated representative, if a team effort) of each winning video will be invited to Paris to attend the OECD Forum on 22^nd – 24^th May 2012. Travel costs to and from Paris, hotel accommodation and a living allowance will be provided for the duration of the Forum. The Prize will be awarded to three winning videos selected by Jury. If a winning video is a group effort, then a nominated representative will be invited to Paris.

 

About the Videos

• Your video must be no more than 3 minutes in length.
• Any spoken language used in your video that is not English or French must be accompanied by the relevant subtitles in English or French.
• Your video must not contain violence, profanity, sex or direct attacks on individuals or organizations. Any entries deemed offensive will be immediately disqualified.
• Your video must be your own original creation – no copyrighted music, video, or images may be used.
• Your video must not infringe on any third party rights.
• Your video must not have been produced for compensation or posted previously on any OECD Web page.

 

Eligibility Criteria

You must be aged between 18 and 25 years during the period of this competition (14 December 2011 to 31 March 2012). That means you must have been born on or between 15 December 1985 and 1 April 1994. Proof of identity will be required from all finalists.

If you are a member of OECD staff (either permanent or temporary, current or former), intern, contractor, sponsor, or an immediate family member of any of the foregoing, you may participate, but are not eligible to win.

Selection Criteria

Videos will be judged on adherence to the competition challenge through creativity, originality, message content and overall presentation (sound and picture quality).

The deadline for submitting the entries is March 31^st 2012

For more information, visit http://www.oecd.org/document/8/0,3746,en_21571361_49034050_49086984_1_1_1_1,00.html

Connect4Climate Photo and Video Competition on Climate Change

Connect4Climate (C4C) is seeking entries for the photo and video competition on climate change focused on African youth aged 13 to 30. To participate in this competition you can send your photos or videos (60 seconds or less) telling a story on climate change or present a cool idea for solutions to climate change issues.

The goal of C4C is to raise awareness about climate change issues around the world, with an initial focus on Africa. C4C, together with its knowledge partners, aims to act as a convener of all parties with an interest in raising awareness about climate change issues and participating in an interactive, global dialogue on climate change. With the help of their broad coalition of partners, both big and small, they are kickstarting an interactive dialogue on climate change issues amongst African youth and global social media users. With roughly 70% of Africa’s total population under 30, the Connect4Climate campaign will tap the rich potential of African’s youth as powerful agents of social change.

Competition Categories

• Agriculture
• Energy
• Forests
• Gender
• Health
• Water

Prizes

C4C will be awarding more than 60 prizes, including cameras, mobile phones, computer tablets and solar backpacks. Winning entries will be exhibited at the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP17) in Durban, South Africa, this December. World leaders and prominent climate change thinkers will get a chance to look, listen, and learn about these climate stories generated by African youth from around the continent.

Last date for submission of entries is November 15, 2011

For more information, visit http://facebook.com/Connect4Climate

Find more open competitions by visiting http://www.yipekenya.org/News.htm

2011 Chase Bank Enablis ILO Business Launchpad

The Enablis Entrepreneurial Network East Africa, Chase Bank and the International Labour Organization launched the annual business plan competition aimed at supporting emerging and existing entrepreneurs on July 5th 2011.

The 2011 competition got a boost when the ILO’s Youth Entrepreneurship Facility generously increased their sponsorship to share the title sponsorship with Chase Bank.

The competition is also supported by Inoorero University, Business Daily, Safaricom Foundation, MobiKash, Rhino Special Products and the Kenya ICT Board.

The competition is a platform for Kenyans with business ideas to realize their dreams.

For further information, visit http://www.yipekenya.org/2011 Chase Bank Enablis ILO Business Launchpad.htm

Third Youth Video Festival on Migration and Diversity

PLURAL + is a youth-produced film contest for youth from all over the world to submit short videos on their thoughts about migration, integration, inclusiveness and identity.

Youth are encouraged to explore sub-themes such as youth migration, refugee issues, cross-cultural dialogue, diversity, human rights, conflict prevention, etc.

Videos of up to 5 minutes and any genre or style (animation, documentary, drama, etc) will be accepted in three age-based categories.

The deadline for submissions is 1^st July, 2011. The winners will be announced at the PLURAL+ 2011 Awards Ceremony at the Paley Center for Media in New York on 10^th November 2011.

For more information, visit http://www.unaoc.org/pluralplus/

Organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with many partners, PLURAL+ supports the role of young people as powerful agents of social change in a world often characterized by intolerance, cultural and religious divisions.

Check out even more competitions on http://www.yipekenya.org/News.htm

Grant, Fellowship, Competition & Award Opportunities

Call for Green Energy Projects: Do you have a project or plan to implement a green energy project in Sub Saharan Africa?

BBC World Challenge 2011: The BBC World Challenge 2011 seeks to provide recognition to projects or small businesses demonstrating enterprise and innovation at the grassroots level.

Synergos Senior Fellows Network Program: The Synergos Institute has issued a call for applications for its Synergos Senior Fellows Network program that provides opportunities for enhancing leadership skills.

Ebay and Ashoka’s Changemakers Competition: Powering Economic Opportunity, Creating a World that Works – eBay Foundation and Ashoka’s Changemakers have launched this online competition to find the world’s most innovative market-based solutions that create economic opportunity and generate employment for disadvantaged populations.

African Technology and Transparency Initiative Call for Letters of Inquiry: ATTI supports projects that use technology as an essential component for providing people with access to credible information about government actions and influence in Africa.

For information on how to apply/ enter visit http://www.yipekenya.org/News.htm

The Burt Award for African Literature

Supporting and encouraging a love of reading for young adults.

The Canadian Organization for Development through Education (CODE) in collaboration with the National Book Development Council of Kenya (NBDCK) and with the generous support of a Canadian patron, Mr. Bill Burt, have the pleasure to invite Kenyan authors to take part in a writing competition to produce engaging and educational stories for the youth (12 – 18 years old) which will be published as part of the Burt Award for African Literature.

Objectives of the Award

• To support and motivate the development of supplementary reading materials for a critical stage of learning – the transition period between mother tongue and the English medium of instruction in both primary and secondary schools.
• To publish stories which strengthen the English language skills of the youth and help foster enthusiasm and a love for reading.
• To stimulate and support the African publishing industry and contribute to the literary wealth of African literature.
• To increase the stock of English reading materials in school and community libraries.
• To recognize excellence in literature for youth.

Criteria for the Award’s Writing Competition

The story should:

• Be written in English.
• Demonstrate a solid command of English through a clear cohesive language and proper sentence structure, vocabulary and punctuation.
• Be thought-provoking and original: It should have an excellent story telling style e.g. strong imagery, lively dialogue, and vivid description to arouse young readers’ interest and curiosity and keep them turning pages.
• Be prose fiction containing content and language appropriate for ages 12-18 years old.
• Have a strong literary merit including;

o       Engaging characters with whom young readers can identify and a protagonist who overcomes challenges or obstacles in a positive way.

o       A well-developed plot with a good flow of events.

o       The effective use of literary devices, such as flashbacks.

• The story should reflect current issues and challenges of concern to contemporary Kenya.
• Submissions which shall have the potential to evolve into a book series or sequel are welcome.

Manuscript Submission Guide

• The length of the manuscript should be between 120 – 150 pages.
• The manuscript should be in chapter form.
• They should be type-written in double space.
• The font type should be Times New Roman, font size 12.

The Awards

• 1st Prize – CAD$ 12,000
• 2nd Prize – CAD$ 6,000
• 3rd Prize – CAD$ 3,000

Deadline for Submission

All manuscripts, which must be in soft copy, should be submitted to: info@nationalbookcouncilkenya.org by Friday 30th September 2011 at 12.00 noon.

For more information about the Award, please contact:

The National Book Development Council of Kenya

P.O. Box 10904 – 00100

Nairobi, Kenya

Tel. 254 020 2721876; 2725006

Cell Phone +254 770 108 556

Email: info@nationalbookcouncilkenya.org

For more opportunities, visit www.yipekenya.org