Third Annual Student Writing Competitions launched

For Immediate Release (Edmonton, July 3, 2010)

The Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Foundation (UCCLF) Tuesday launched its third annual student writing competition.

“The Foundation has already doled out $2,000 since 2008, the inaugural year of the competitions which marked the 75th anniversary of Ukraine’s Famine-Genocide – the Holodomor. We are once again encouraging students to actively engage in and do research on a civil liberties theme and to commemorate victims of genocide,” said Andriy Harasymiw, Scholarships Director for the Foundation.

Two separate awards are being offered. Valued at $500, the High School Civil Liberties Award will go to a Canadian student aged 13-18 who submits a research essay of up to 1,500 words based on a Holodomor theme. The winning essay will be determined by a selection committee derived from the Ukrainian Canadian community. Judging will be based solely on the quality of essay content. Submission deadline has been set at Oct. 29, 2010.

The Civil Liberties Opinion-Editorial Award will go to a high school or post-secondary student whose Holodomor-based opinion-editorial appears in print in a major Canadian newspaper prior to the Nov. 30, 2010 deadline. The value of this award has been set at $1,000. However, this amount is subject to change in the event that an op-ed from more than one student appears in a major Canadian newspaper.

“We’re very pleased with the quality of applications we have received through the first two years of the competitions,” continued Harasymiw. “The Foundation looks forward to receiving many high-quality submissions in the upcoming months.”

Last year, Adrian Warchola of Edmonton was awarded $500 by the Foundation in winning the High School Civil Liberties prize with his essay entitled Extermination of the Breadbasket of Europe. In 2008, Antin Stowell of Winnipeg won the High School Civil Liberties prize and was likewise awarded $500. Also in 2008, the Foundation awarded Christina Dykun of Toronto $1,000 for having her Holodomor opinion-editorial published in the Calgary Sun.