Essay Contest

Tell us what YOU think about African food security policies and your essay submission could be published in a leading international relations publication.

Africa Rural Connect, a program of the National Peace Corps Association, in conjunction with World Policy Journal, wants to hear your insights on how to approach the larger issue of food security in rural Africa. The contest runs from June 1, 2010 to July 31, 2010 and the winner will be announced on August 31, 2010.

The winning essay will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of World Policy Journal, one of the top foreign policy publications in the U.S. Africa Rural Connect participants are encouraged to enter the contest following the submission criteria below:

Submit an 800 to 1,200 word essay in English that follows Associated Press style and describes a  unique initiative that African governments, private organizations, or others in the international community can implement to improve food security in the rural regions of Africa. Send all submissions as a Word document attachment by email to essaycontest@peacecorpsconnect.org by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on July 31, 2010.

Who can enter?

The contest is open to all individuals and co-writing partners who have profiles on the Africa Rural Connect website. The competition is open to anyone around the world. Current or former staffers of World Policy Journal and the National Peace Corps Association are not eligible to enter the contest.

What do I win?

The winner will have their essay published in an upcoming issue of World Policy Journal, one of the top foreign policy publications in the U.S., published by the World Policy Institute.

Who will judge the essay contest?

A distinguished panel of academics and media professionals with a shared background in policy and food security will select the winning essay. The judges include:

David A. Andelman- David is editor of World Policy Journal and author of three books, most recently A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and The Price We Pay Today (John Wiley & Sons, 2007). Previously he served as the Executive Editor of Forbes.com and earlier on in his career he was a domestic and foreign correspondent for The New York Times in various posts in New York and Washington, the Southeast Asia bureau chief based in Bangkok, and the East European bureau chief based in Belgrade. David was also the Paris correspondent for CBS News.

Ferial Haffajee- Ferial is the editor-in-chief of City Press, South Africa's leading national Sunday newspaper and is a member of the Africa Leadership Initiative, a collaborative effort of seven partner organizations in Africa and the United States. Her interests lie in developmental journalism and finding new ways of writing about Africa's potential and greatest challenges. She was among a select group of reporters to first interview Nelson Mandela upon his release from 26 years of imprisonment. A native of the Johannesburg suburb of Bosmont, before working at City Press, Ferial was former editor-in-chief of the Mail & Guardian newspaper in South Africa where she earned the title of South Africa's first female editor of a major newspaper.

Dr. Hans Herren- Hans is an internationally recognized scientist with 27 years of experience working in Africa with a keen interest in the area of integrated and sustainable development. He is president and CEO of Millennium Institute (MI) USA, an independent and non-partisan nonprofit organization committed to sustainable development worldwide. Prior to joining MI, he was director-general of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Benin. He was the recipient of the 1995 World Food Prize for advancing human development by improving the quality, quantity and availability of the world's food supply.

Emmy Simmons- Emmy served as assistant administrator for Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She has worked in the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs in Monrovia, Liberia and taught and conducted research at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria. A former Peace Corps Volunteer who served in the Philippines from 1962-64, Emmy currently serves on the boards of two international research centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR): the International Livestock Research Institute headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture headquartered in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Roger Thurow- Roger was a foreign correspondent for twenty years with the Wall Street Journal where he reported on Europe and Africa. Currently, he is senior fellow for global agriculture and food policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and is editor and principal contributor to the Council’s Global Food for Thought blog, part of the Global Agricultural Development Initiative. In 2003, Roger co-wrote a series of stories on famine in Africa that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting and his reporting on humanitarian and development issues was honored by the United Nations.  Roger is also co-author of ENOUGH: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty.

How should the essay be written?

Submissions must be typed and be between 800- to 1,200- word, double-spaced, and sent as a Word document attachment by email. Footnotes, bibliographic material and the cover page are not included in the word count. Only submissions written in English will be eligible. The name and contact information should only be printed on the cover page; the name of the contestant should not be printed on any interior page.

Can I submit multiple essays?

Yes, you are welcome to submit as many essays as you want. A contestant may not enter an essay under another person’s username.

How can I submit my essay?

All submissions must be sent electronically to essaycontest@peacecorpsconnect.org as a Word document attachment and must include “ARC Essay Contest” in the subject line.

When is the deadline for the contest?

All submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on July 31, 2010. An email will be sent to confirm the receipt of an entry.

When will the winner be notified?

The winner of the competition will be notified by August 30, 2010. The winning essay will be published in the Fall 2010 issue of World Policy Journal.

Will my essay be published or used in any other way?

All essays submitted will become property of the National Peace Corps Association and will not be returned to the author(s).The National Peace Corps Association may reprint a portion or the entirety of the essays in National Peace Corps Association publications or on our website. The winning contestant(s) will be credited as the author when their work is published.

What is the criteria for a winning essay?

There are three main criteria by which the judges will select the winning essay:

• The essay should fully answer all parts of the question.
• The essay should be creative.
• The essay should display real-world impact.

Please try to follow these standards when composing your essay.

Can an essay submission be disqualified?

An essay may be disqualified if:

• It is incomplete or does not directly address the essay question.
• If the person who submits the essay does not have a profile by the date that the essay is received.
• It does not follow the format, e.g. exceeding the word limit.
• The essay submitted presents statements or ideas that are not the intellectual property of the author, without proper citation.
• It is sent after the deadline.
• The essay has been previously published in print or online.

To read more about the Essay Contest, read the Press Release.