ASEAN holds essay, photo contest

JAKARTA (JP): To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an essay, poster and photo competition is being held.

All three categories are open to nationals of the nine ASEAN member states -- Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Only undergraduate students are eligible to enter the essay competition with the theme of "My Vision of ASEAN in the Year 2020".

A US$5,000 first prize will be given to the winner. Entries must be written in English and must be under 2,000 words.

The second prize for the essay competition is $3,500 and third prize is $2,000.

The theme of the photo competition is "Towards a Dynamic, Progressive and Cohesive ASEAN".

Each photograph must be in color, measure at least 10R, or 20 by 25 centimeters, and must be accompanied by a caption describing the photograph.

First prize is a hefty $10,000 with second and third prize winners receiving $5,000 and $3,000 respectively. A consolation prize of $500 will also be given to nine worthy entrants.

The poster competition is open to high school students aged between 13 and 18 years old.

The theme of the competition is "A United and Cohesive ASEAN". Posters submitted must be in color with English captions and must measure at least 30 by 40 centimeters. First prize is $2,000.

Entries for all three categories must be submitted to the ASEAN Secretariat here by Oct. 31.

For the photo and poster competitions, more than one entry may be submitted.

Further inquiries should be directed to the ASEAN Secretariat.

Winners will be announced in November. (mds)