Students Win Cash Prizes in Contractor General Essay and Poster Contest

Six students have won hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash prizes for themselves and their schools, after taking the top places in the Office of the Contractor General Essay and Poster Competition.

The presentations were made yesterday (July 9) at an award ceremony held at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites in New Kingston.

The winning student in each category of the competition received the top prize of $50,000, with $100,000 awarded to the school.

Second place got $25,000, with $50,000 for the school; while third place received $20,000 and $35,000 for the school.

Borne out of an inaugural three-day Fraud and Anti-Corruption Conference, which took place in March, the competition was created to engage young people on the issue of corruption through dialogue and research.

It aimed to raise awareness of the problem, and anti-corruption measures and initiatives being undertaken.

In his brief remarks at the award ceremony, Contractor General, Dirk Harrison, said the country’s young people are vital to the fight against corruption.

“It is my sincere hope that you will manifest the messages that you have conveyed on your posters and in your essays,” he expressed.

Approximately 90 essays and 68 poster entries on an anti-corruption themed topic were submitted by more than 100 students across the island.

The essay competition was open to students 14-18 years-old while the poster competition was open to 10-13 year-old students.

William Knibb Memorial High student, Nastassia Grossett, won in the essay category of the contest. Second place went to Ardenne High School student, Karen Nembhard, while Justin-Timothy Frater of Cornwall College placed third.

In the poster segment, first place went to Omario Kelvin of Chetwood Memorial Primary School; second place went to Shae-on Green of Glenmuir High; and Kavina Blake and Pa’vielle Hamilton of the Edith Dalton James High School, placed third.