The Centre for Research on Latin America & the Caribbean (CERLAC) is looking for submissions from York undergraduate students for its inaugural Telelatino Network “Mundo Canuck” Essay Prize competition.
Beginning this year, the Telelatino Network "Mundo Canuck" Essay Prize will be awarded annually to two York undergraduate students demonstrating exceptional writing on the experiences of Hispanic people in Canada. The first essay prize will be worth $800, the second $450. The competition has been established through a donation by Telelatino (TLN), a Canadian television channel that broadcasts programs of interest to the Hispanic and Italian communities.
The winning essays will provide critical reflection on the experiences of Hispanic people in Canada, highlighting their past, present and future contributions to Canadian society and/or addressing the challenges they have successfully overcome as members of a minority group in the Canadian context. Essays may be based on work done for a course.
The essays must be between 2,000 and 2,500 words. They may be written in Spanish or English and will be judged by the following criteria: critical insight, originality, relevance, clarity of presentation, coherence of argument and persuasiveness.
The essay’s author must be an undergraduate student registered in an academic degree program at York University in any Faculty or college, including Glendon. Eligible students must be Canadian citizens and Ontario residents, and demonstrate financial need.
A panel of three York University professors associated with CERLAC and York’s Latin American & Caribbean Studies Program will act as judges for the contest. The winner will be announced in April 2010.
Prize-winning essays will be announced by TLN and by CERLAC, and published on their Web sites. The winners will also be announced on TLN, which may interview and profile each winner.
For this year’s competition, an electronic copy of the essay should be submitted to cerlac@yorku.ca no later than Feb. 19, 2010.
For more information, contact CERLAC at ext. 55237 or cerlac@yorku.ca.