ANTIGUA & BARBUDA TOURISM AUTHORITY

It is that time of year again when the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association invites the youth of Antigua and Barbuda to share their ideas and their opinions on tourism through their participation in the Annual Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) Children’s Essay Contest.

As usual, the invitation to participate is extended to students of both public and private schools.  They are invited to submit their essays of 500 – 750 words in length, on the topic “What makes my destination different from others?” Judging will be done in two age categories: the Junior Division inclusive of children ages 12 and under (must not have passed his/her 13th birthday by September 26th, 2013) and the Senior Division inclusive of children ages 13 to 16 years (must not have his/her 17th birthday by September 26th, 2013).

On a national level, the contest will be conducted in two rounds; with the first round done within each participating school. The winners from each school (one from each age category) should be selected by the teachers/staff selection committee and be forwarded to the Ministry of Tourism, Attn: Cynthia G Simon, not later than Monday, June 17th, 2013. Each submitted essay should bear the following: Name of the Student (as it appears on official document), Student’s Date of Birth, Student’s Home Telephone Number, Name of School and School Telephone Number.

The top essays submitted by all participating schools will be further screened by a national committee (round two) and the winning essays (one from each age category) will then be forwarded for further judging by the FCCA’s Selection Committee.  First, second and third place winners of each age category in the regional contest will receive a personal cash scholarship award ranging between US$1,000 up to US$3,000 and a matching cash award for the school represented by each of the winners. This year, the first place winner in each category will participate in the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference in Cartegena, Colombia, September 30th – October 4th 2013.

Antigua Barbuda has placed among the top three in both the junior and senior divisions of the FCCA Foundation Children Essay Competition from since 2007. In 2012, national winner of the contest, Terrikia Benjamin of the Antigua Girls’ High School was awarded 1st place in the Senior Division of the regional contest, and attended the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference in Curacao where she was presented with her plaque and cash award.  Her school also received a cash award of matching amount. All winners selected by the participating schools were recognized at the Ministry of Tourism’s event, Celebrating Youth in Tourism held in October 2012. 1st place winner in each category were presented with plaques by Nathan Dundas, President of The Antigua Barbuda Cruise Tourism Association.