A Call to Win: Magsaysay Youth Essay Competition Launched

Reviving a ten-year-old tradition, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) launches the 2014 Ramon Magsaysay Youth Essay Competition (RMYEC). Young Filipinos, age 15 to 24, are invited to join this competition, which will run until 30 June 2014. This year’s essay theme is “My Favorite Ramon Magsaysay Awardee: Servant Leadership Qualities That Inspire Me.”

The essay-writing competition is part of the Foundation’s efforts to inspire the youth with living Asian heroes of change, and to encourage them to demonstrate the same kind of servant leadership manifested by President Ramon Magsaysay and the Magsaysay laureates.

Ramon Magsaysay, who died in a tragic plane crash exactly 57 years ago today, was one of the most beloved presidents of the Philippines. Committed to his pursuit of the common man’s welfare and famously consistent in his practice of honest governance, President Magsaysay’s sudden and tragic death was deeply mourned by his people and by his admirers throughout the world. Fortunately, his legacy of servant leadership has been enshrined in the Ramon Magsaysay Award—now Asia’s premier prize and highest honor—which has been bestowed on remarkable individuals like him, for their greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in service to the peoples of Asia.

This year’s essay-writing theme focuses on the personal reflections of the young writer about a Magsaysay awardee of his/her choice, and the specific leadership qualities reflected in the chosen laureate’s life and work which are most personally inspiring.

The RMYEC has two categories—Level 1 for youth between 15 and 18 years old, and Level 2 for youth between 19 and 24 years old. Contestants are required to register and submit their essays through the RMYEC online registration and submission portal (http://www.rmaf.org.ph/rmyec/). A contestant may register and submit an essay only once.

All essays submitted for the competition must be original, unpublished, written in English, and between 500-800 words in length. Work already published on any medium (including online magazines, blogs, etc.) may not be entered in the RMYEC. Essays which have won in previous contests may also not be entered. Deadline for the submission of entries is on June 30, 2014.

Winners for each competition level will be announced at an appropriate awarding ceremony; they will also receive IT prizes (laptops, smartphones, and tablets) and have the special privilege of interacting with this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awardees.

For further clarification, please contact Ms. Kiel Fernandez, RMAF Advocacy Officer, at 521-3166 to 75 loc. 189, or email inquiries to rmyec@rmaf.or.ph. For updates on the competition, regularly visit RMAF’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rmafoundation, or its Twitter account at @rmafoundation.