TSL International Schools Essay Competition and Debate, 2017

The Trust for Sustainable Living is pleased to invite schoolchildren around the world to write open letters to the soon-to-be-elected new UN Secretary General, outlining their ideas for practical climate action. Registration opens on 1st September 2016 and the deadline for entries is 15th December 2016.

Global essay competition and debate invite school children to explore practical pathways for climate action.

Eligibility:

The annual essay competition and debate are aimed at primary students (ages 7-11) and secondary students (ages 11-17), supported by Teacher Champions informal and home schools. One overall Grand Prize Winner (plus Teacher Champion and Parent) will win a free, all-expenses-paid trip to the Debates & Awards in the UK, and Prizes will be awarded to the top five Essay Winners in each category (Primary and Secondary). At the Debates, Prizes will be awarded for the best individual and group contributions. All participating students and Teacher Champions will be invited to attend the Debates & Awards.

Essay Competition

• Students are invited to write an essay outlining their thoughts on climate action, in English, as follows:
• Primary students (ages 7-11): ‘My Plan for Climate Action’ (max. 400 words)
• Secondary students (ages 11-17): ‘We Can Beat Climate Change by 2030’ (max. 600 words)
• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (pictured here at Rio+20) received the Prize Winners’ essays from the 2012 competition, ‘Dear Mr UN Secretary General…’
• An international panel of judges, drawn from experts and educationalists in the field, will select the winning entries for each age category. The essays will be judged on originality and creative thinking and the potential to contribute to a broad-ranging and constructive international dialogue on future pathways for climate action. The winning essays will be published on the competition website.
• For each category, schools are invited to submit up to 30 essays online. (These must be submitted by the Teacher Champion, using the login details provided at registration. We regret that paper and emailed copies cannot be accepted, and essays more than 10% over the word limit will be automatically rejected.)
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• Key dates
• 1 September 2016 – School/Teacher registration opens
• 15 December 2016 – Closing date for essay submissions (and Schools Sustainability Challenge video entries)
• 31 January 2017 – All schools notified of winning Finalists and Honourable Mentions, and invited to attend the Debates & Awards.
• Scholarship Link