The African Space Leadership Institute (ASLI) invites students and young professionals to participate in its maiden Space for Africa Essay Competition. This maiden edition requires an essay outlining how space can be used to meet one of the goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The aim of the competition is to introduce students and young professionals to space policy and African Union affairs. Topics in these fields are typically not found in university curriculum.
QUALIFICATIONS
In order to qualify to apply for the competition, you must be:
> A citizen of a Member State of the African Union, resident in Africa or abroad.
> A student or a young professional between 18-35 years.
GUIDELINES
> Essay must focus on only one of the goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
> No more than 750 words in length. Written in English.
> Can include no more than 4 relevant pictures. All pictures should be given credits.
> Where necessary, should contain appropriate references which are accessible online. No footnotes, endnotes nor references at end of essay. All references should be inserted within the essay as hypertext.
> Only one entry is allowed per applicant.
> Essays that do not follow the guidelines will be disqualified.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
The essays will be evaluated based on:
> Content: How well does the essay address the goal? Does the author include real life issues and/or examples?
> Structure: Is the essay organized in a logical manner?
> Clarity: Are arguments clear?
> Logic of ideas: Do the arguments and examples support the author’s main idea?
> Potential impact: How do the recommendations and/or solutions address the goal discussed? Are the recommendations and/or solutions pragmatic?
PRIZES
Authors of selected essays will receive:
> Certificate of Recognition
> Full scholarship to participate in ASLI’s African Space Policy and Strategy course. The 5-week course is scheduled to hold in November 2023. On successful completion of the course, participants will be given a verifiable Certificate of Participation.
> Join the ASLI network
> Publication of winning essays on ASLI platforms.
Essay (in MS word format) and CV can be uploaded here.
Deadline for entries is 11:59 GMT, 10th September 2023.
Winning essays will be publicly announced by early October.
ASLI reserves the right to published winning essays on its physical and online platforms. Authors will be given due credits.
For further inquiries, kindly send an email to info@aslispace.org. (Essays should not be sent to this email. They should be uploaded using the link above.)