Good summer project for student writers

A competition with 2 awards ($500 and $1000 each) has been announced by the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association (UCCLA). This year marks the UCCLA foundation's third annual student writing competition.

Two separate awards are being offered. The High School Civil Liberties Award will go to a Canadian student aged 13-18 who submits a research essay of up to 1,500 words based on a Holodomor theme. Judging will be based solely on the quality of essay content. Value: $500. Submission deadline: October 29, 2010.

The Civil Liberties Opinion-Editorial Award will go to a high school or post-secondary student whose Holodomor-based opinion-editorial appears in print in a major Canadian newspaper prior to the November 30, 2010 deadline. Value: $1,000 (subject to change in the event that an op-ed from more than one student appears in a major Canadian newspaper).

“The Foundation has already doled out $2,000 since 2008,” said Andriy Harasymiw, Scholarships Director for the Foundation. "The inaugural year of the competitions marked the 75th anniversary of Ukraine’s Famine-Genocide – the Holodomor. We are once again encouraging students to actively engage in and do research on a civil liberties theme and to commemorate victims of genocide."

Last year, Adrian Warchola of Edmonton was awarded $500 by the Foundation in winning the High School Civil Liberties prize with his essay entitled "Extermination of the Breadbasket of Europe." In 2008, Antin Stowell of Winnipeg won the High School Civil Liberties prize of $500. Also in 2008, the Foundation awarded Christina Dykun of Toronto $1,000 for her Holodomor opinion-editorial in the Calgary Sun.

“We’re very pleased with the quality of applications we have received through the first two years of the competitions,” said Harasymiw. “The Foundation looks forward to receiving many high-quality submissions in the upcoming months.”

More detailed information along with application forms can be obtained by e-mailing the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation here.