Writing Contest: Myanmar Beyond the Travel Brochure

21 May 2012
Writing Contest: Myanmar Beyond the Travel Brochure
Deadline: 31 July 2012

We invite you to join a writing contest organized by Burma Center Prague in cooperation with Wathann Film Fest: “Myanmar beyond the travel brochure”

The country is opening up at an incredible speed. More foreigners are entering Myanmar than ever before, people who are interested in culture, in nature, in the experience of a very different country, who come for unspoiled holidays, to meet its people and understand their lives, on their own or in a package tour, or simply to do business.

But not only foreigners travel in Myanmar. Many people of Myanmar travel between different parts of the country to find work and better living conditions, and many of the millions of people living abroad have decided to travel back and visit their families.

Traveling to and in Myanmar encompasses much more than what you find in travel brochures and packages sold to tourists. The movement of people to other places always creates new, unexpected, and often less known situations. Many of them can only be seen by the experienced eyes of those who have learned to observe what is hidden behind the scenes or camouflaged amidst normality, and often only by those who are involved and affected themselves.

It takes not only special skills to find these untold stories and to observe the unseen realities, but also to find the right way to describe them in a text, to put them into the best possible form, and to let others understand and feel what they have not witnessed themselves or what they have overlooked.

If you feel that you have something to say about these things and if you find it easy to write a good text, we cordially invite you to submit it to our contest.

CATEGORIES

You can submit your short story in one of two categories:

A. Fiction: You are free to choose the form of your text.

B. Non-fiction: Write a short essay, a commentary or a news story. Your text must be based only on true facts.

CONDITIONS
  • The text must be written in English or Burmese and submitted as Word document, PDF or Email, using one of these fonts: Zaw Gyi, Myanmar, or WinBurmese.
  • The text must not have already been published elsewhere.
  • The length of the text may not exceed 4 pages with font size 12 and double line spacing.
  • The text has been entirely produced by the author.
  • A text can only be submitted by its author.
  • Authors must be citizens of Myanmar.
  • Every author may submit only one piece.
  • The author agrees that we use his/her work with his/her name or pen name without further financial compensation.
  • The text may not incite hate, violence, or racism.

SUBMISSION: Send your text and the completed form, which you can download as PDF or as Word Document to moc.amruboce@tsetnoc and contest@ecoburma.com.

HOW THE WINNERS WILL BE SELECTED
  • Jury Award: The jury will select one winner for each category.
  • Audience Award: One winner for each category will be chosen by the audience, based on a preselection made by the jury. The audience will vote on the website www.ecoburma.com/contest. Voting will continue and finish at the Wathann Film Fest.

JURY: The members of the jury will be announced shortly.

SELECTION CRITERIA
  • The content corresponds to the given topic and submission was timely and in the proper form.
  • The text is outstanding in terms of presentation of the content.
  • The text deals with the given topic in an innovative way, manages to highlight aspects that are usually overlooked and offers alternative points of view.
  • The work reflects specific situations that have arisen in recent months.

We encourage the writing of texts that deal with social aspects, show solidarity with people who usually do not get much public attention, and promote the idea of humanity.

PRESENTATION OF THE WINNING TEXTS: In Yangon on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the Wathann Film Fest, early September 2012.

PRIZES
  • Jury Award: 150 Euro for each category.
  • Audience Award: 100 Euro for each category.

The organizers reserve the right to split the prize between multiple winners or not to award a prize in a category where no text has been able to qualify. Prizes will be personally delivered at the Wathann Film Fest.

All decisions are final and not subject to legal appeal.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: contest@ecoburma.com and moc.amruboce@tsetnoc

Website: http://www.burma-center.org/
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