Students Encouraged to Begin Working on Entries for JIS Heritage Competitions

Primary, high and tertiary level students are being encouraged to start working on their entries for the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) annual Heritage Essay, Poster and Photography competitions.

The JIS will start accepting submissions as of Monday, September 3, 2018. These competitions form part of the JIS’ effort to generate robust interest among students in aspects of Jamaica’s heritage that have significantly impacted the culture.

Chair of the Heritage Competitions Planning Committee, Andrine Davidson, said that over years various topics have allowed students to express their understanding of cultural and historical issues, and to have a voice in the national dialogue.

“The competition allows students to articulate how they feel about aspects of our culture, how Jamaica has developed over the years, and the paths they believe, as a nation, we should take,” she said.

The essay competition, which is in its eighth year, targets students aged nine to 12 at the primary level. This year students are required to write an essay on the theme: ‘How Has Jamaican Music Contributed to the Country’s Growth and Development’.      

Essays, which should be between 400 and 500 words, will be adjudged on relevance to the topic, originality, accuracy and analysis of research data, writing style and language skills. Essay submission should also include the Title page and Bibliography or List of References. At least one of the references must be a JIS source. Essays should be submitted using the application form at www.jis.gov.jm.   

The fifth staging of the Poster Competition will target high school students who will have the opportunity to interpret the topic: ‘Jamaica’s Music: the Stage for Growth and Development’. Posters will be judged based on interpretation of the topic, originality, neatness and presentation.

Graphic posters should be no larger than 11 inches x 17 inches (landscape or portrait) and should include no other image but those provided on the JIS website through DropBox.

All pieces must be submitted by filling out the entry form on the website: www.jis.gov.jm.  Illustrated posters, which should be 11 inches x 17 inches, should be delivered to the JIS Head Office in Kingston or the Regional Office in Montego Bay.

Meanwhile, the Photography Competition which was first introduced in 2016 is opened to tertiary level students who are required to submit photographs depicting the theme: ‘Jamaica’s Music: the Stage for Growth and Development’.

Photographs submitted will be adjudged on interpretation of the topic, originality, composition, technique and impact. Any registered tertiary level student attending an accredited Jamaican institution is eligible to submit an entry. Photograph should be submitted using a cloud storage service, such as DropBox, SkyDrive or Google Drive. Entrants must indicate the name of the institution and area of study being pursued. 

For further details, persons are being asked to contact Christine Ade-Gold at the JIS by calling 926-3590-4 Ext. 2137/2132, email: heritagephoto@jis.gov.jm  orheritageposter@jis.gov.jm  or heritageessay@jis.gov.jm.