“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.”
- Carl Sagan
We are back with our annual writing contest and this year, we are calling all young people and senior citizens to participate in our annual writing contest!
We all may have heard the statement “When we were young, the city was…”
This year, we want you to collaborate and co-create ideas about the future of our cities from some such memories of the past and hopes for future!
We are asking youth to have conversations with senior citizens about the kind of city the seniors want to leave for the next generation and their hopes and dreams for the future of our cities. We want to hear about what your city means to you and them; the things that they cherished; the things that they would want you to have; and anything else you want to tell us about your cities.
The winner of the best entry will get INR. 15,000, second prize - INR. 10,000 and third prize of INR 5,000. All winners will have their entries published on the Nagrika Website, Promoted across our social media channels, Nagrika Goodies and a Certificate of excellence.
Guidelines for the entries
Entries will be accepted both in English and Hindi
Eligibility:
18 Years to 30 Years old.
Resident of India
Entries will be accepted until 16th July 2023 at 11:59 pm IST.
We are accepting two kinds of written formats - creative and factual. See below the general guidance around two types of writing
Factual
Factual writing can be in forms such as an essay, or a letter (e.g. from a grandparent to a grandkid), biography (e.g. chapter of an autobiography of a senior citizen where they talk about the kind of city they want to leave for their grandchildren).
Based on facts
Intended to inform or persuade the reader
May be written using a third-person perspective
May use formal language
May use a neutral tone
Creative
Creative entries can be written in forms such as stories, or poems.
Based on the author’s imagination
Intended to entertain the reader or to evoke a particular emotion
May use formal or informal language
May use first-person or third-person point of view
May use a variety of tones, including humorous, serious, or emotional
The entry can be retrospective (based on the kind of city they experienced in past) or futuristic (the way they imagine their city in future for the next generation) or mix of both
Word count:
Prose (includes essay, letter, biography & story) must be at least 1000 words and maximum 3000 words
Poems must be at least 20 lines or 200 words
Judging Criteria:
The Nagrika Jury maintains the right to select the winner. The entries shared will the jury will be anonymized.
Entries will be judged on the following criteria:Originality & Insight: Whether the submission is unique and presents original ideas. If the writing provides any interesting insights, analysis or perspectives about their cities.
Writing Skill: We are referring to the skills of crafting a well-told story, narrative, essay, poem or any other such written format. Skills can be in the form of writing techniques such as clarity and conciseness in writing, development of characters, clarity of thought and organization of ideas.
Overall emotional impact: This would mean the overall emotional response that the entry is able to evoke in readers/judges. A good entry should be able to make the judges feel some emotion such as nostalgia, joy, sadness, anger among others.
If you have any more questions, please reach us at info@nagrika.org. In the email, include your name, contact information and “Query - Writing Contest 2023” as the subject.
Testimonials from Previous Winners
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I submit in any language other than English and Hindi?
A. Presently, we are only accepting entries in English and Hindi.
Q. What is the final date of submission?
A. We will be accepting entries until 30th June, 2023 at 11.59 PM IST.
Q. Can I speak to more than one senior citizen for my submission?
A. Nagrika encourages creative and artistic thinking. The more people you talk to, the more creative and enriched your perspective will be.
Q. If I applied last year, can I submit my entry this year as well?
A. Nagrika welcomes applicants to re-apply and submit their entries for this year’s competition, provided they did not win previously. In the spirit of competition, we want to encourage new talents to participate and compete in our annual writing contest.
Q. Is there a country restriction for participation in the competition?
A. The competition is open only to Indian residents who have a valid and functional Indian bank account and a PAN card.
Q. Can I send in handwritten entries?
A. No, we do not accept handwritten entries. If you are facing trouble typing in Hindi, consider using Google Toolkit’s Hindi option. It is a free to use application.
Q. What are some questions I can explore with my senior citizen partners?
A. Here are some questions you may want to ask your senior citizen partner(s)
What was the city like when they grew up?
What were/are some of the best things of this city?
What do you hope the future of our city looks like?
What do you think are the most important things we can do to make our city a better place for future generations?
What are your biggest concerns about the future of our city?
What advice would you give to young people who want to make a difference in the future of our city?
