NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Templeton World Charity Foundation, through its partnership with the Bahamas Ministry of Education, is hosting its annual Laws of Life Essay Competition and is calling on all eligible students to apply.
Since 1987, students in communities around the globe have competed for prizes in essay contests based on the Laws of Life in Sir John Templeton’s writings.
The Laws of Life Committee made the decision to focus the 2021 competition on laws that espoused empathy, care, understanding and appreciation for what our country and the world is experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“COVID-19 has changed the landscape of our daily lives,” the committee said. “It has disrupted our economy, our schools, our churches and even our relationships with others. In the age of the coronavirus, we have had to rethink and change many of the ways we do things, including how we interact and connect with others.
“Even though COVID-19 has impacted the way we interact with one another, it has shown us that forming and maintaining personal relationships is more important than ever.”
Students in primary, junior, senior and college divisions are asked to select one of Sir John Templeton’s laws of life and submit essays explaining how that specific law is meaningful in their own lives.
Secondary students also have the option of creating a short video instead of a written essay.
Students are required to choose a law from their appropriate division, expound upon its meaning and offer real-life and personal examples of the law in action.
Some of the laws students can choose from are: “Happy relationships depend not on finding the right person but on being the right person”; “As you are active in blessing others, they find their burdens easier to bear”; and “Joy is not in things, but is in you”.
Additional topics, contest rules and resources may be found on the contest website bahamaslawsoflife.org.
The committee members added: “Students are encouraged to select the law that expresses a key value and/or ideal by which we should live, explain why the chosen value/ideal is important to the way we live our lives by discussing your experiences, the lessons they’ve learned and people who have served as living examples of your chosen value/ideal.
“This is a great opportunity for students, teachers and schools to regain some of the momentum that may have been lost due to the pandemic, by bringing their school spirit and pride to this amazing competition.”
The final date for submission is February 12, 2021.
First place prize for the college division is $1,000; and first place prizes for the senior, junior and primary division are $700, $600 and $500 respectively.
Each divisional winner also receives a $1000 scholarship/tuition assistance award.
Due to the continued safety concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition has embarked on an innovative venture and developed an online portal for submission and assessment of entries. There will be no physical contact with contestant entries moving forward.
Students must create a profile via the contest website, by which they will upload and submit their entries.
As is customary, the top finalists in each division will be selected and revealed at the awards ceremony at a later date. The element of surprise has become an anticipated feature of the competition.
For further information, interested parties may visit bahamaslawsoflife.org; email www.info@bahamaslawsoflife.org; or follow the competition on social media by checking out its Facebook and Instagram pages.
