Youth Opportunities - Saturday April 2nd, 2011

Saturday April 2, 2011

[UPDATE: It may be useful to browse these old listings as many programs are annual, but for more current contests and competitions, head to the Youth Opportunities page.]

Every Saturday I post about current youth opportunities that are open to submissions from Ontario residents, which naturally includes a lot of contests and competitions open to youth across Canada and the US. Please note I'm not attesting to the legitimacy or quality of anything listed here - read the fine print carefully and make your own judgement call, especially if a submission fee or creative rights are involved!

Bridgestone Safety Scholars Video Contest
• Open to U.S. and Canadian full-time students with a driver's license, aged 16-21 (excluding Quebec)
• Deadline May 13, 2011
Now open to Canadians, the annual Bridgestone Safety Scholars Video Contest is looking for short videos (25 or 55 seconds in length) that deal with some aspect of automobile safety. Judges will select 10 finalists to be posted online for public voting. All finalists will win a set of four new tires, and the top three finalists will be given a $5000 USD scholarship (if a U.S. citizen) or a cheque for $5000 CDN (if Canadian). The website offers numerous tips for filmmakers. Below is the first place winner from 2010, Tales from the Junkyard by Henry Busby. Visit the website for more about this video and links to other past entries.

Refugees and Human Rights Child and Youth Poetry Contest
• Open to GTA students in grades 4-12
• Deadline April 29, 2011
Organized by UNHCR Canada (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and COSTI Immigrant Services, the Refugees and Human Rights Child and Youth Poetry Contest is accepting poems of up to 24 lines that looks at any aspect of the subject of refugees and human rights. Poems will be divided into three categories for judging (Grades 4-6, Grades 7-8, and Grades 9-12) and a first prize ($200) and second and third place prize ($100 each) will be awarded in each division. There is no fee to enter but students may only submit one poem for consideration. Visit the website for the entry form, which you can submit by mail or email.

BMO Team of the Week Contest
• Open to Canadian youth soccer teams (ages 7-12) [Entry must come from an adult coach, parent or representative]
• Deadline June 30th, 2011
For the BMO Team of the Week Contest, an adult representative of a youth soccer team submits a short essay and photos and other supporters may add their own notes and photos. For 15 weeks judges will select a "Team of the Week" from all the nominations, and those teams will receive $500 to be spent on team expenses, plus track suits and another $500 to be donated to charity. Out of the 15 teams, a Grand Prize winner will be chosen, earning $125,000 towards refurbishing a local soccer field, a trip for the team to either a Toronto FC or Vancouver Whitecaps game and a $5000 donation to charity. There aer even 75 Early Bird prizes to be won! Read the full contest rules and regulations on the website before entering.

The Hunger Mountain Prize for Young Writers
• Open to high school students*
• Postmark deadline is April 30th, 2011
The Hunger Mountain Prize for Young Writers accepts fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction. Prizes will be awarded in each of those three categories with a first place winner receiving $250 USD and publication and a runner-up receiving $100 USD. There is an entry fee of $10 USD for each piece of fiction, nonfiction or up to three poems. You may enter multiple times or in multiple categories, but you'll need to pay a fee for each entry. Visit the website to read last year's winners - "Ninjaboy" by Rachel Thomas (fiction), "Some Last Things to Arrange" by Mishka Hoosen (poetry) and “Fefe Naa Efe” by Delali Ayivor (creative non-fiction).
*In the past they've said that middle school students are welcome to enter as well, but since there's no separate category those entries would be competing against work by older writers.

Previously Highlighted Youth Opportunities