Zambia

THIS Southern African Republic is the destination in an all-expense paid travel for three winners of a contest for graduate students in seven countries, including the Philippines.

The contest, called “World Briefing: Telling the Malaria Story,” will choose among blog posts “that focuses on the current malaria burden and the ways in which [this] generation can make progress in the fight.”

According to the document sent by Rachel Alkon of New York, US-based Ruder Finn, the contest is open to graduate students in the United States, Ecuador, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Philippines and Venezuela, up to 35 years of age and currently enrolled at an accredited university.

Those eligible for these criteria can enter (how-to-enter) the contest through three steps: develop a blog post in English of 500 words or less; develop a “tweet” (or sentence of 140 characters or less) explaining why you should win the contest; and, sending the blog post, tweet and official documentation to enter@malariacontest.com by 11:59 PM EST on Monday, May 31, 2010.

“Contestants must provide a copy of a valid passport and official documentation verifying enrollment in a graduate program (e.g. transcript, admission letter) during the contest period (March 2010 – October 2010).”

The document said that between June 1 and June 12, 2010, “agents of the Contest Sponsors will evaluate all of the submissions and select the top six entries (two from each of the following regions: Latin America/Asia; Europe; and the United States) based on a set of criteria.

Contest Sponsors are nongovernment group Malaria No More and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

The document said the entry will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

* Does the entry explain why the contestant’s generation should care about malaria, and what they can do to make progress?
* Does the entry illustrate a fresh perspective on the global effort to end malaria deaths?
* Does the entry illustrate what the applicant plans to do in his/her lifetime to help fight malaria?
* Does the entry explain how he/she will use the experience to educate/encourage others to join the fight against malaria?
* Is the entry concise and easy-to-read?
* Is the entry well-written?

The document said that between June 12 and June 26, 2010, the Sponsors will post the top six (6) submissions on Malaria No More’s contest Web site (www.worldbriefing.org).

It is also during this period that “the general public will have the opportunity to review and vote for their favorite entry.”

“To determine the three winners, the Contest Sponsors will assemble a task force of judges from across the globe comprised of representatives from Novartis, Malaria No More, and/or a college professor or journalist. Between June 12 and June 26, 2010 the task force will also review and score the top 6 submissions based on the criteria described above. The Contest Sponsors will determine the three winners based on a weighted formula that considers the votes of the task force and general public."

The three winners will be announced the week of June 28 and will travel with the Novartis team to Zambia.

“During the trip, students will learn about current efforts underway to control malaria, travel to local clinics as well as meet with physicians, healthcare workers, patients, and leaders from the Novartis Malaria Initiatives team and Malaria No More.”

The contest fact sheet and official rules/guidelines available online at http://www.worldbriefing.org/.