The ‘Her Voice, Her Vision’ Essay Competition invites girls in secondary schools across Nigeria to share their experience, insights, and aspirations for a gender responsive, inclusive, and quality education system. The competition is part of an initiative to strengthen girls’ voices in education, policy, and budget advocacy and to influence change through storytelling.
The goal of the essay competition is to provide a platform for girls to share their experiences and aspirations, raise awareness, inform policy, foster dialogue, and promote critical thinking.
Submission Guidelines
- Submissions must adhere to the theme “What Girls Want in Education.”
- Essays should be submitted only in MS Word or Google Docs format.
- Word Count: Max 500 words
- Format:
- 12-point font, Trebuchet MS
- Double-spaced
- Include page numbers
- Include a title page with: essay title, participant’s name, school, and contact information
Goals
- Amplify Girls’ Voices: Create a platform for girls to express their educational needs and propose solutions.
- Gather Actionable Insights: Collect diverse perspectives that could inform educational policies and practices
- Raise Awareness: Highlight gender-specific educational concerns and priorities
- Promote Critical Thinking: Encourage participants to analyze local educational systems through a gender lens
- Build Community: Foster dialogue among students, educators, and policymakers about girls’ education and their specific needs.
WORTH
- Certificates of participation to all participants
- First Place: Cash prize (500,000 naira only), certificate of participation, and recognition at the DARE Conference
- Second Place: Cash prize (300,000 naira only), certificate of participation, recognition at the DARE Conference
- Third Place: Cash prize (200,000 naira only), certificate of participation, recognition at the DARE Conference
- Honorable Mentions/Publication of (7 of the best works + 3 prize winners)
ELIGIBILITY
- Open to young girls of 13-19 years.
- For young girls in Junior and Senior Secondary schools.
- Participants must be currently enrolled in an educational institution.
- Essays must be original work, not previously published elsewhere.
- One submission per participant.
Judging Criteria (100 points total)
- Relevance to Theme (25 points): How well the essay addresses “What Girls Want in Education”
- Originality and creativity (20 points): Fresh perspectives and innovative thinking
- Critical Analysis (20 points): Depth of thought and critical examination of educational systems
- Practicality of Suggestions (15 points): Feasibility of proposed ideas or solutions
- Structure and Organization (10 points): Logical flow, coherent arguments
- Writing Quality (10 points): Grammar, vocabulary, style, and clarity
Additional Information
- Privacy Protection: Parental Consent will be sought for selected participants before publishing their essays and names for students under 18 years.
- Judging Panel: The panel will include Gender Advocates, Educators, Writers, and Youth Representative Diverse panel including educators, gender equality advocates, writers, and youth representatives
- Post-Competition Publication: A compilation of winning essays and selected notable entries will be published in both digital and print format to ensure people can access it during the DARE conference, where it will be officially launched and shared with stakeholders.
- Considerations: Alternative submission formats will be accepted for people with disabilities.
DEADLINE: June 30, 2025
To apply and for more information, visit here
