- Develop a blog post in English of 500 words or less that focuses on the current malaria burden and ways in which your generation can make progress in the fight. Following are mandatory and additional optional topics to cover in your blog post. Mandatory topics:
- Why should your generation care about malaria?
- What fresh perspective or unique angle can you bring to the global effort to end malaria deaths?
- What do you personally plan to do in your lifetime to help fight malaria?
- If you win the contest, how will you apply your experience in Africa to educate and encourage others to join the fight against malaria?
Optional topics:
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- What is the most significant challenge that must be overcome to reduce malaria related deaths and suffering?
- Why should the developed world feel obligated or responsible for combating malaria, a disease mostly plaguing patients in the developing world?
- How can non profits, corporations, governments and others enhance current malaria treatment and prevention efforts?
- What impact does malaria have on the global economy, and how could this evolve in the near future, if we reduce the prevalence of this disease?
- Develop a “tweet,” or sentence of 140 characters or less, explaining why YOU should win the contest.
- Send your blog post, tweet and official documentation to enter@malariacontest.com by 11:59 PM EST on Monday, May 31, 2010. (Note that we might post your blog post and tweet online!)
The Prize:
The three winners will travel with the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation team to Zambia, a malaria endemic country which has successfully reduced morbidity and mortality related to malaria by over 60%, thanks to improved medical care for malaria patients with treatment and prevention tools. 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. Sound intriguing?
Next Steps:
Start working on your submission! As you prepare your entry, we recommend that you reference the contest fact sheet and official rules/guidelines available below. If you have any questions, please contact us at enter@malariacontest.com. Good Luck!
Download the official rules and guidelines (pdf)
Download the contest fact sheet (pdf)
Eligibility:
- The contest is open to graduate students of up to 35 years of age currently enrolled at an accredited university in the United States, Ecuador, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Philippines and Venezuela.
- Contestants must provide a copy of a valid passport and official documentation verifying enrollment as a graduate or masters student in university (e.g. transcript, admission letter) during the contest period (March 2010 – October 2010).
For more details, please see official contest rules below.
Judging:
Between June 1 and June 12, 2010 agents of the Contest Sponsors will evaluate all of the submissions and select the top 6 entries (3 from each of the following regions: The Americas/Asia and Europe) 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?
Between June 12 and June 26, 2010, the Sponsors will post the top 6 submissions on Malaria No More’s contest Web site (www.worldbriefing.org), at which time 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 Pharmaceuticals Corporation, 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 28th
Please note that due to a low number of entries from some of the participating countries, Novartis and Malaria No More have decided to redistribute the finalist regions.