Organization : Old Mutual & Nedbank
Competition Name : Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition
Applicable For : Permanent resident status in South Africa
Competition Deadline : 31 May 2017
Prize : R150 000
Website : http://www.budgetspeechcompetition.co.za/
Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition :
General Rules :
** The 2017 Nedbank and Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition closing date is midnight on Wednesday 31 May 2017.
Update : Nedbank & Old Mutual Budget Speech Competition 2018 : www.southafricain.com/10975.html
** The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
** The winners will be announced at the competition banquet in February 2018.
** 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.
2017 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
Questions & Format Requirements :
2017 Essay Questions :
Undergraduate :
** What are the economic and fiscal costs of corruption in a country, if any? Make use of both local and international studies in your answer.
Postgraduate :
** Following the financial crisis central banks in many developed economies have adopted unconventional monetary policies. Some seven years later much of this remains in place and has in certain cases been intensified. Do you think that central banks have been correct or are they inadvertently creating the next crisis? Use data and examples to assess the impact of these measures.
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
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 2018.
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.