Organization : Old Mutual & Nedbank
Competition Name : Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition
Applicable For : Permanent resident status in South Africa
Competition Deadline : 31 May 2018
Prize : R150 000
Website : http://www.budgetspeechcompetition.co.za/competition-rules/
Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition
The Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition was launched in 1972.
Related : Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition 2017 : www.southafricain.com/6530.html
Whilst the format of the event has evolved over the last four decades to keep up with the changing times, judges have continued to select essays written by some of the top economic minds our country has produced.
General Rules
** The 2018 Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition closing date is midnight on Thursday 31 May 2018.
** The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
** The winners will be announced at the competition banquet in February 2019.
** Once submitted, copyright of the essays vests with the sponsors.
** Only online entries will be accepted.
Who May Enter?
The following students are eligible to enter :
** Full-time or part-time students.
** Postgraduate or undergraduate students.
** Students registered for an economics course at any recognised South African institution for higher learning (including the Military Academy and the Universities of Technology).
** Nedbank and Old Mutual staff, their agents and families are not eligible to enter.
** Entrants may enter each category more than once during their university careers.
** In the postgraduate category only Honours or first-time Master’s students may enter.
Entrants must :
** Be South African citizens or citizens of any of the SADC countries (Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia or Zimbabwe).
** Hold permanent resident status in South Africa.
Essay Writing Guidelines
** This section aims to offer you technical help around writing an academic essay.
The Comprehensive Guide to Writing an Academic Essay :
** The Comprehensive Guide to Writing an Academic Essay has been compiled specifically to assist Budget Speech Competition contestants. A selection of links to websites covering various aspects of research and essay writing is also provided.
Oxford Reference Guide :
** We have posted a simple reference guide from Oxford for you to work through. Remember that correct referencing is a critical part of an academic essay and if you reference incorrectly you will not even get past the starting blocks as your essay will be rejected.
** Proper referencing and acknowledgements are vital in writing any essay or academic paper in order to avoid charges of plagiarism. A good bibliography and the presence of citations also indicate to you tutor and adjudicator how much research you have undertaken.
Questions & Format Requirements
2018 Essay Questions
Undergraduate :
** What are the systemic risks of bitcoin/crypto currencies if any and have regulators been sufficiently aware of any risks?
Postgraduate :
** It is 2018 and a new ANC government is in place, what would you as the new finance minister do to restore fiscal credibility? What would the impact of this be on monetary policy and the economy?
Please Note :
** Entries not conforming to the rules of the competition and the format requirements will be disqualified without being read.
** Once submitted, the copyright of the essays rests with the sponsors.
** Essays are checked for plagiarism using Turnitin software. Plagiarism will not be tolerated and essays that have been plagiarised will be disqualified without being read. Click here to learn all about plagiarism.
Format Requirements
Essay Rules :
It is essential that you adhere to the following rules when preparing your paper for submission :
** All essays must be submitted in English and they must be typed.
** The essay title must appear on the first page of the essay and not on a separate page.
** The number of words in your essay must also appear on the front page of your essay.
Essays, including footnotes and tables, but excluding references, should not exceed (a 10% margin will be accepted):
Postgraduate: 3500 words.
Undergraduate: 2000 words.
** Essay lengths will be checked and any essays that are outside the prescribed length will be disqualified.
** The category you are entering must appear on the front page of your essay;
** All pages must be numbered from the 1st page and should feature the total number of pages (e.g. 2 of 10) in the bottom right hand corner of each page.
** Your name and your university must NOT appear on the pages of your essay. These details should only appear in your entry form.
** Do not sent your CV with your entry. If you are interested in exploring employment opportunities with Nedbank or Old Mutual please contact the companies directly.
** When you register on the website and you will be provided with a unique number which you should include on your final essay submission. Your unique entry number must appear on the top right hand corner of each page
** Click here to see an example of these essay requirements.
Adjudication Process
Filter and Adjudication Panel :
** The Filter Panel and Adjudication Panel comprise representatives from sponsors Nedbank and Old Mutual, as well as National Treasury, the business sector, academia and external consultants. It must be noted that the judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcome of their decisions.
** All essays are initially marked by the Filter Panel, and the top 20 are selected in each category after debate and mutual consent.
** Thereafter, the Adjudication Panel mark the top 20 in each category and, after debate and mutual consent, the finalists are selected.
** The finalists are interviewed in a face-to-face situation and the winners and runners up are selected
Adjudication Criteria
Primary Criteria :
** The focus of the competition is on academic excellence and essays will be judged primarily on merit and quality. If there is one essay that is of significantly higher standard than the rest, this will be regarded as the winner. Attention will also be given to the structure of the essay, clarity of thought and presentation of argument.
Secondary Criteria :
Essays that are of the same quality will be evaluated further using the following criteria :
** Empowerment (black students will be given preference).
** Student’s potential.
** Student’s needs (students who cannot afford to further their studies in South Africa).
** Student’s community involvement.
** Student’s commitment to address the country’s economic issues.
Additional Criteria :
The Adjudication Panel will interview the ten postgraduate and ten undergraduate finalists. Finalists must be available to attend interviews in person in Cape Town in February 2019.
The panel will evaluate each student in terms of the following criteria:
** Intellectual sparkle.
** Ability to formulate and express rational arguments.
** Understanding and knowledge of topical economic issues.
2018 Prizes
General Information :
** In line with our joint commitment to the role corporates must play in developing young talent to take the nation forward, Nedbank and Old Mutual aim to harness the thoughts and opinions of students from a diversity of backgrounds and countries. Entrants are encouraged to be bold, innovative and meticulous in their research.
** Because the possibility exists that the fruit of this competition could be an idea or innovation that could change the course of South African economic history, we offer generous cash prizes.
Postgraduate Category
1st Prize: R150 000
2nd Prize: R100 000
3rd Prize: R50 000
Undergraduate Category
1st Prize: R60 000
2nd Prize: R40 000
3rd Prize: R20 000