Approximately $10,0000 is up for grabs in the annual Templeton World Charity Foundation Inc. and Ministry of Education's Laws of Life Essay contest.

Students across four divisions -- primary (grades five and six), junior (grades seven through nine), senior (grades 10 through 12) and local college (students must be 25 years and under) are to write original essays on the selected topic for their respective division. Primary school-aged children in grades five and six will explore the topic "Love thy neighbor as thyself" over 250 to 300 words.

The top six will receive prize money paid out in increments of $500, $400, $300, $200, $150 and $100.

Junior school students between grades seven and nine will write on the topic "You are either part of the problem or part of the solution" and do so between 400 and 550 words. The essay should explain the importance of the selected law and show how it can be applied to everyday life. The top six will receive prize money in purses of $600, $500, $400, $300, $200 and $150.

Senior school students between grades 10 and 12 will address the topic "Focus on where you want to go instead of where you have been" between 600 and 800 words. The prize money up for grabs will again go to the top six winners with payments in amounts of $700, $600, $500, $400, $300 and $200.

College Division entrants, who have to be aged 25 and under to enter will write an original expository essay on the subject "If you have inner peace, you can be happy even in the midst of a rapidly changing world" and do so between 850 and 1,000 words. The essay should explain the importance of the selected law and show how it can be applied to everyday life.

The top three entrants will receive prize purses in the amounts of $1,000, $800 and $600. A prize scholarship of $1,000 to be used by the English Department will also be awarded to the school of the winners in each division.

A floating trophy will go to the school with the top-scoring essay, and the John Templeton Jr. Memorial Floating Trophy will go to the winners in each division. The public and private school with the highest number of finalists will each receive $500; public and private school teachers with the most entries receiving top scores in each division will receive $200.

The Laws of Life Essay Competition isn't a "run of the mill" competition. Officials encourage students to embrace the laws of life they write about in their essays, and reap the positive effects of applying them to everyday life.

"[This essay competition] gives the primary and junior school students the opportunity to express their ideas and use research ideas. It provides them with an opportunity to build and an opportunity to learn how to write, so that by the time they reach the senior level, they have a good grasp of how to write an essay at the senior level," said Wright.

For the senior school students and collegians, the essay competition gives them an opportunity to express their views on laws that affect their lives as they transition into adulthood. Last year, Dr. John Templeton Jr. who spoke to the students via a video presentation told them that their participation in the competition was an opportunity to study wise ideas that would last a lifetime. He encouraged the students to be aware of the importance of exercising common sense, open-mindedness and humility.

The Laws of Life Essay competition is an off-shoot of an international program and held to extremely high standards. Once a student enters the competition, anonymity is the first order of business. A number is assigned to each essay before the essay is seen by any marker or judge, comprised of teachers that grade essays at the national examination level. They are tasked with the daunting task of grading the entries.

Each essay is graded by two markers. Essays receiving 90 percent and above are then passed on to a judging panel of five for further deliberations. The winners are then determined and notified. It is a process that takes approximately six months. Last year's competition saw a record-setting number of essay entries at 2,074.

The deadline for entry is January 15. Three copies of essays are to be submitted to thee Writing Unit, Department of Education, Learning Resources, Mackey Street, along with an application form which are available at the Writing Unit. All entries must be typewritten.

Templeton World Charity Foundation Inc. and Ministry of Education Laws of Life Essay Competition divisions

Primary (Grades 5-6)
Topic: Love thy neighbor as thyself
(250 - 350 words)

Junior (Grades 7-9)
Topic: You are either part of the problem or part of the solution
(400-550 words)

Senior (Grades 10-12)

Topic: Focus on where you want to go instead of where you have been (600-800 words)

College Level (All local tertiary institutes -- students up to age 25)
Topic: If you have inner peace, you can be happy even in the midst of a rapidly changing world
(850 - 1000 words).

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian