What Matters? finalists announced

The eight young finalists of the 2013 What Matters? competition will join Governor Marie Bashir at the special Whitlam Institute awards ceremony on Monday 29 July 2013.

The What Matters? competition, proudly supported by Officeworks, ReachOut and The Writing Workshop, is an opportunity for students in years 5 to 12 in NSW and ACT schools to have their voices heard, by submitting a 400-600 word opinion piece on the issues in society that are important to them.

“Every year, we are amazed at the high calibre of entries, as well as the depth of young people’s understanding of issues that are of such significance,” says Eric Sidoti, Director, UWS, Whitlam Institute.

The 2013 finalists, selected from more than 2,700 entries, are:

Governor Bashir, who has extensive experience in working with our youth, will attend the awards ceremony at the University of Western Sydney’s Parramatta Campus and will be present to congratulate the finalists.

The overall winner of the competition, to be announced at the awards ceremony, will receive an iPad care of Officeworks. The winners of each category will be presented with a certificate as well as a monetary prize.  

During the event at UWS, finalists will be given the opportunity to participate in a Young Writers Forum, run by The Writing Workshop.  

Years 5/6 and 7/8 category winners will each receive a full day creative writing workshop, donated by The Writing Workshop, conducted by award winning author Bernard Cohen.

The Year 9/10 category winner will be invited to spend a day at the Inspire Foundation, meeting the ReachOut crew. They will also be offered the opportunity to be paid $200 to produce a feature article for the ReachOut website, www.reachout.com.

Lastly, the Year 11/12 category winner will receive a book voucher to the value of $100.

The Whitlam Institute, established within the University of Western Sydney, is a dynamic public policy institute that commemorates the life and work of one of Australia’s most respected Prime Ministers, The Hon. Gough Whitlam AC QC, and pursues the causes he championed during his parliamentary career and years of statesman service to the people of Australia. Through the Whitlam Institute Program the Institute bridges the historical legacy of Mr Whitlam’s years in public life and the contemporary relevance of the Institute’s work to public discourse and policy.

The Whitlam Institute is also custodian of the Whitlam Prime Ministerial Collection.

 

WHAT: What Matters? Award Ceremony

WHEN: 3:00pm, Monday 29 July 2013

WHERE: Female Orphan School, UWS Parramatta Campus, corner James Ruse Drive and Victoria Road, Rydalmere

Ends
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