My Mind Words Paper [about writers and more] 

Deadline: 8 June 2012

The Bayeux-Calvados award for war correspondents rewards reports about a conflict situation or its impact on civilians, or news stories involving the defence of freedom and democracy. The report must have been made between 1 June 2011 and 31 May 2012. A €7,000 prize is awarded in each category. The categories of media represented are: radio – photography – television (short and long formats) – written press and Web Journalism (new since 2011). To be considered for the Web Journalism category, the multimedia report must have been published on the Internet or touchpad between the 1 June 2011 and the 31st May 2012.

WRITTEN PRESS

The Application must be made up of an article or a series of one to five articles on the same subject.

Obligatory:

- The Report must have been published on the same media in paper format or on a media website. In the event that the report has not been published by the date on which applications cease to be accepted (8 June 2012), a proof of publication must be supplied to the Organiser before 1 August 2012. Failing this, the application will not be accepted.

- The Report submitted must be identical to the published article.

The following should be sent to the Organiser:

- A copy of the original source (magazine, daily newspaper or internet page) in which the article was published or the digital file of the report in pdf format.

- The text of the article in digital format (Word)

- For Reports in a language other than French, the complete translation of the report into French in digital format (Word).

WEB JOURNALISM

Applications for the Web Journalism category will consist of one or more multimedia report(s) presented in the form of:

- videography (linear compilation of video(s) and photo(s))
-a short multimedia project: video production based solely on photos
-a web documentary (interactive interface).
-reports designed specifically for the Ipad touch pad

Obligatory:

-The “web journalism” production must have been broadcast on a website or via an Ipad touch pad application.
-Group entries are accepted for this web journalism category, led by a representative journalist or a media company.
-The “web journalism” production must be presented in French or English.

The following should be sent to the Organiser:

- 1 CD or DVD of the report / production or only the Internet link (active until December 2012) depending on the format of the production.

- The Internet link for viewing the report or the name of the Ipad application

Bearing in mind the different formats in which multimedia reports are produced today, judgement on the presented production will focus on several criteria so as not to disadvantage projects that have been produced in very different ways. The jury will pay particular attention to the following criteria:

-the coherence of the whole production and its narration
-the contents of the production
-the relevance of the production

Entry application now available:

Entry form YOUNG REPORTER

Entry form WEB JOURNALISM

Entry form WRITTEN PRESS

Read the full award regulations here.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: info@prixbayeux.org

For submissions: the reports must be submitted to Bayeux-Calvados Award for War Correspondents – Hôtel de Ville 19, rue laitière – BP 21215 – 14402 Bayeux Cedex

Website: http://www.prixbayeux.org

Deadline: 30 June 2012 (noon)

Are you a Writers’ College newsletter subscriber? Write us a 1000-word story about your journey as a writer. Make it funny, quirky and/or inspirational. We will publish the best story in our quarterly newsletter and on our blog. Plus the winner gets $200 (R1000 or £100).

Send your story to nichola@nzwriterscollege.co.nz.

Please note: This competition is only open to their newsletter subscribers. Sign up for their free newsletter.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For enquiries/ submissions: nichola@nzwriterscollege.co.nz

Website: http://www.writerscollegeblog.co.za

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is a division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd, dedicated to serving the academic, professional scientific and medical communities.

Nature Arabic Edition has a vacancy for an Associate Editor.

This exciting position involves working as part of a small editorial team on all aspects of the editorial process, including commissioning and editing review translations, writing short articles, and developing the content of the journal, both in print and online.

DESIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

To meet these challenging tasks, the ideal candidate will have a broad scientific background, and hold a PhD or equivalent in a relevant field. Other important attributes include excellent Arabic literary and verbal communication skills, good attention to detail, well-developed time-management skills and good interpersonal skills.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is an international publishing company that publishes academic journals, online databases, and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences and clinical medicine. This includes Nature research journals and Nature Reviews journals (since 2000), and academic journals that are society owned publications.

We just got back from yet another trip to the border town of Macará. It was the final leg of our year-long journey to obtain my resident visa. I have written a little about this process in previous posts, including the one about our trip to Quito last July and another about our trip to Peru last January. Well, last month, the migration office in Quito finally stamped my passport and I am now a permanent, legal resident of Ecuador. But, since I had originally entered the country as a tourist, I was now required to leave and re-enter again so that they could register me as a resident in the computer system (apparently that can only be done at the border, not in Quito). And, I was told, if I waited until after my old tourist visa expired (April 11) I would end up having to pay another $200 fine the next time I tried to leave the country. So we decided that a quick trip to Macará wouldn't be a bad idea (good thing it is only a 4 hour drive away).

I was a little worried about taking the trip because we are in the middle of the rainy season and landslides are quite common. A bad one can block the roads for several days. Luckily, the day we chose to drive down it did not rain and all the landslides from the previous weeks rain had been cleared. It was the first time that I had been in that area during the rainy season and the change was amazing. All the trees had green leaves and there were flowers and new plant growth everywhere. The hills, which I'm used to seeing as dry and brown, were green and exuberant. It looked a lot more like the tropical rainforest than the bosque seco (dry forest).

On the way down to Macará, discussed how to handle the border crossing. I needed to get a stamp from both the Ecuadorian side as well as the Peruvian side. We had heard that officially I was supposed to spend at least 24 hours outside of the country, but neither of us wanted to do that again. Everyone had given us advice on what to do; we should drive to the nearest city in Peru and eat lunch and then go back; we should cross the border and then walk back to Macará, spend the night in a hotel, and then walk back over the border the next day and act like we were coming from Peru; we should bribe the guards; etc. We couldn't decide what was best, so we decided to just go to the border and see what happened. We had brought some money with us to bribe the border guards if necessary, even though Lucho admited that he was not very good at doing that kind of stuff.

The first official we spoke to, on the Ecuadorian side, was typically unfriendly and unhelpful, but after Lucho asked if his boss was in town he seemed to lighten up a little (probably wondering if we knew him or not) and told us that he could help us so long as we were able to get the stamp from the Peruvian side. So we crossed the international bridge over the Macará river (which was brown and swollen due to the rains - I held on to Christina's hand very tightly) and made our way to the Peruvian border office. Lucho did all the talking while Christina and I watched the angry river below. Lucho asked the guard if he would stamp my passport with an entrance and exit at the same time. Then he pulled out a $10 Peruvian sole note (worth about $3) and told the guy that he was welcome to keep it for his trouble. The guy looked at it and asked, "Don't you have one of those, but in dollars?" Luckily, we did. So he gave us the needed stamps, and we headed over to the Ecuadorian side. The official there stamped my passport and we gave him $5 for his trouble (we were going to give him the $10 bill, but we had already given it to the Peruvian guy so he was out of luck on that one). Success!!!

We ended up buying a 100 pound bag of rice from them for $30. The rice from Macará is very good and now we have enough to supply us, and the rest of Lucho's family, for several months.
It felt great to get all that paperwork out of the way. But when I looked at my U.S. Passport the next day I realized that it expires this August (I had forgotten all about it while I was working on my Ecuadorian paperwork). So now we're planning a trip to visit the U.S. Consulate in Guayaquil. I guess it will never end...

Deadline: 1 December 2012

Youth for Human Rights International launched its global movement with an essay contest. The response to the call for essays describing the individual human rights was widespread and enthusiastic and brought attention to our organization with the goal of a world of cooperation and peace through human rights education. Local, regional or international contests are powerful activities for getting youth involved and learning about human rights.

COMPETITION THEME: What Are Human Rights?

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Read the booklet What Are Human Rights?
2. The essay should be approximately one page long.
3. The poem can be handwritten or typed (single spaced).
4. Send this information:

• Name:
• Age (18 and under):
• Country:
• Parent/Guardian name:
• Parent/Guardian signature:
• Parent/Guardian email address for notification:

NOTIFICATION: December 10th, Human Rights Day

All poems and essays will be considered for the YHRI website. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of submissions only a selection of poems will be placed on our international website!

Deadline: 30 November 2012

We are interested in a wide variety of pieces, including (but not limited to) scholarly articles, short fiction, poetry, original translations of ancient texts, hymns, rituals, recipes, and artwork that pertains to Hera, her Roman counterpart Iuno (Juno), and her Etruscan counterpart Uni.

We strongly encourage those interested in submitting to explore the many facets of this complex goddess in their work, including but not limited to

– Hera as Queen of Heaven, and the meaning and responsibilities of that position – Hera as Queen of the Gods, and her relationships with other members of the pantheon – Hera as Goddess of Marriage – Hera as Goddess of Women – Hera as the wife of Zeus, and the dynamics of their relationship – Hera as daughter of Rhea and Kronos – a discussion of the relationships between Hera and her children Ares, Eileithyia, Hebe and Hephaestus, as well as Eris and Typhaon – a discussion of Hera’s reaction to Zeus’ affairs, and her relationships with his lovers (eg, Leto, Semele, Io, et cetera) – a discussion of Hera’s relationship with Zeus’ mortal and immortal offspring (eg, Apollon, Artemis, Herakles, et cetera) – compare/contrast Hera, Demeter, Leto and Maia as divine mothers – Hera as the matron Goddess of Argos and Samos – Hera as the Goddess of heroes such as Jason and Herakles – Hera as the Goddess of Cattle – Hera as she is portrayed in the Homeric Hymns – Hera as she is portrayed in The Iliad and The Odyssey – Iuno as she is portrayed in The Aeneid, Metamorphoses, and other Latin works – a discussion of the cow, bull, cuckoo, peacock, scorpion, poppy, and pomegranate as symbols of Hera – a discussion of the origins and meaning of the name Hera (and/or Iuno, and/or Uni) – Iuno as a member of the Capitoline Triad – a discussion of Iuno’s various epithets, their meanings, and their implications (such as Lucina, Mater, Moneta, Regina, et cetera) – the cultic links between Iuno and the wives of various Roman emperors – compare/contrast the relationship between Hera and Herakles, and Iuno and Hercules – a discussion of the iuno and genius, and lares and penates

Syncretisms between Hera and other God/dess/es are acceptable so long as the author clearly demonstrates this syncretism; for instance, a discussion of the differences, similarities and overlap between Hera and Goddesses such as Isis, Hathor, Asherah, Tanit, and/or Frigga.

All works must be original, not public domain. No plagiarism. Previously published submissions are acceptable, provided the author retains all rights to the work. Authors retain all rights to the submission. Upon acceptance, the author will be sent a permission to publish form along with a request for a short biography to include in the anthology.

The editor reserves the right to make any minor changes in the case of grammar, spelling and formatting concerns. The editor also reserves the right to request modification of submissions and to reject submissions as necessary.

No monetary compensation will be provided. Proceeds from all sales will be divided between charitable donations in the name of the Hera, and production costs of future publications from Bibliotheca Alexandrina. All contributors will receive a coupon code which will allow them to purchase three copies of the anthology at cost.

Acceptable length is anywhere from 100-10,000 words, and the submissions period will run from 1 June 2012 – 31 November 2012, with the projected release date of January 2013: an auspicious occasion as it coincides with the celebration of the Theogamilia. Please send your submission either in the body of the email or as a .doc/.docx or plain text/RTF attachment (for Mac users) with “Hera Devotional” in the subject line to lykeiasl@yahoo.com. Any artwork submitted should be scanned in or created at 300 dpi and sent as a .jpg or .tif file.

Please remember to include a by-line in your email: your name as you would like it to appear in the book!

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: lykeiasl@yahoo.com

METROPOLE, an Abuja-based lifestyle cum city guide magazine is looking for freelance writers for their July and October edition. Writers will conduct interviews, write stories or articles, as the case may be, in the following areas: finance, business, technology, real estate, health, arts and entertainment, food, people, places, fashion, beauty, sports.

Are you a grounded writer in any of these areas? Do you have a flair for writing? Please indicate interest in writing for METROPOLE magazine by sending a writing sample to metropolemagazine@yahoo.com. We look forward to reading from you.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries/ submissions: metropolemagazine@yahoo.com

Date: 15 - 17 June 2012

The Mixed Roots Film & Literary Festival will take place at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles (369 East First Street), June 15-17, 2012.

The Festival celebrates stories of the Mixed experience and stories of multiracial Americans, the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. A free two-day public event, the Festival brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial and multicultural families and individuals for workshops, readings, performances, and film screenings.

The Festival, a fiscally sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts, a non-profit organization, is produced by the co-hosts of the award-winning weekly podcast, Mixed Chicks Chat (www.mixedchickschat.com).

The event is free and open to the public; however, pre-registration is strongly encouraged. The complete Festival schedule can be found online at www.mxroots.org.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

The Festival hosts the largest West Coast Loving Day celebration, Saturday, June 16, 2012, at 6:30pm with the annual Loving Prize presentation. Mixed Unplugged—a live event with comedy, music, and spoken word—will be hosted by acclaimed TV and film actress Erica Gimpel (Fame, Profiler) and will feature comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele of Key & Peele. The presentation is held in conjunction with the 1000-person New York City Loving Day celebration, which is hosted by Loving Day (www.lovingday.org). Free.

Included in the program is a series of Special Family and Youth Events, which will take place on Saturday, June 16, 11am-4:00pm. Sarah Jamila Stevenson, author of the Latte Rebellion, will read and also lead and Create Your Own Movement workshop. Families can also enjoy interactive craft activities all day.

Scholar G. Reginald Daniel and children’s authors Kim Wayans & Kevin Knotts and will each receive a Loving Prize, the Festival's annual award for inspirational storytelling of the Mixed experience during the Saturday night Loving Prize Presentation, June 16, 2012, at 6:30pm.

The Festival will present several feature films including Oscar-shortlist selection The Loving Story (dir. Nancy Buirski), the definitive account of Loving v. Virginia, the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that legalized interracial marriage. This evocative documentary, which incorporates luminous, newly discovered 16mm footage of the Lovings and their young Jewish lawyers as well as first-person testimony and rare documentary photographs by LIFE magazine photographer Grey Villet, recounts the little-known story of the Loving family. The Festival is also pleased to present several award-winning short films.

The Festival includes author readings by award-winning writers Mat Johnson (Pym, Incognegro), Faith Adiele (Meeting Faith), and many others.

Filmmaking and Writing workshops will be held by published authors and professional filmmakers. For example, Moviola (post production rental house and digital arts institute) will host Making the Microbudget Film: Pre-, Production, and Post- for Under $200,000. Award-winning poet Neil Aitken will present a workshop and Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of the Pasadena Playhouse will guide emerging artists in how best to direct actors.

Festival sponsors include: Japanese American National Museum (www.janm.org), Zerflin.com, Moviola, Greenhouse Productions, the Flourish Foundation and MyJennyBook.com. Skylight Books is the Festival’s official bookseller.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: mxrootsfest@gmail.com

Website: http://www.mxroots.org

Deadline: 15 June 2012

STUDENT ESSAY COMPETITION OVERVIEW

The New Cosmic Frontiers International Science Essay Competition On the Nature of our Universe and its Habitats is open to high school and college students. Its purpose is to inspire students to consider careers in science and to nurture their enthusiasm for the subject, and to engage young minds in creative, intellectual activities essential in scientific endeavors.

Winners will be awarded significant monetary prizes to support their education and given an extraordinary opportunity to meet today’s world-renowned scientists and scholars at a conference and award ceremony, held in Philadelphia, on October 12-13, 2012. The program will include presentations by winners of the New Frontiers in Astronomy and Cosmology Research Grant Program and the New Cosmic Frontiers Student Essay Competition; a banquet; a public event lecture related to the Big Questions; and panel of Templeton Prize winners and other original thinkers discussing the future of the Big Questions.

PRIZES

The top three essays in each category will be awarded significant prizes recognizing excellence, originality and creativity. The winners are encouraged to use the prize money for the purpose of furthering their career in science.

Category 1: High School Students or Equivalent

• First Prize – The top essay will be chosen for a $25,000 cash prize.
• Second Prizes – The next two essays will be chosen for a $10,000 cash prize each.
• Third Prizes – The next five essays will be chosen for a $5,000 cash prize each.

• First Prize – The top essay will be chosen for a $50,000 cash prize.
• Second Prizes – The next two essays will be chosen for a $25,000 cash prize each.
• Third Prizes – The next five essays will be chosen for a $10,000 cash prize each.

The Essay Competition Invitation, containing complete information about the program, is available here. Essays should be submitted using the online templates available on this website.

The essay contest has been organized in conjunction with the New Frontiers in Astronomy and Cosmology - An International Grant Competition, a research grant program that aims to advance our understandings in fundamental areas of astronomy and cosmology, which overlap with the following Big Questions.

Notification of Awards: September 2012

Awards ceremony, Philadelphia, PA, USA, October 12-13, 2012

CATEGORY 1: ESSAY THEME FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Big Question IV

Are we alone in the Universe? Or, are there other life and intelligence beyond the solar system?

The recent, rapid advances in technologies that allow the detection of exo-planets in the “life zone” and potential signatures of life and intelligence in the universe raise hope that we are getting very close to the stage to be able to answer the age old question: “Are we alone in the universe?” Discovering life and intelligent beings outside our solar system will be among the greatest scientific discoveries of all time.

Students are encouraged to choose some aspects of this question, from which they may generate more focused essays. The following sub-questions are provided as exemplary questions. Applicants may choose their own research questions provided that such questions are directly or significantly relevant to the above Big Question.

Exemplary sub-questions:

• What are the signatures of the existence of life and intelligence in the universe? How may we detect them?
• Would the fine-tunings required for life in the universe also necessarily require that life be rare?
• To what degree are such other beings likely to be similar to humans? Are there features in nature which could limit the level of intelligence or the differences we may expect?
• How important is it for mankind to answer this Big Question and why?
• What will the implications be of the answer “yes” or “no” to this Big Question?
• Does our universe have features that limit the level of intelligence and/or the differences we may expect from them? What kinds of behaviour might we expect from them, if we ever meet them? Should we expect that they have learned how best to live with other beings as they must have survived their own conflicts long enough? What are the possibilities?
• Are there advanced intelligent beings out there in the universe that are not biological or are beyond biological (post-biological)? If so, what would be the signatures of the existence of such intelligence?

• Life in Space: Astrobiology for Everyone by Lucas John Mix
• Strange New Worlds: The Search for Alien Planets and Life Beyond Our Solar System by Ray Jayawardhana
• Are We Alone?: Philosophical Implications of the Discovery of Extraterrestrial Life by Paul Davies
• Intelligent Life in the Universe: Principles and Requirements behind Its Emergence by Peter Ulmschneider

Big Question III

What is the origin of complexity in the universe?

We are living in a wonderfully complex world. According to the known astronomical and cosmological theories, our universe has become more and more “complex” and produced more and more interesting phenomena in it. How did this happen? What were the key stages? What are the prerequisites for such emergent complexity? For instance, is the “Past Hypothesis” (the idea that the universe had the initial low entropy state) true? Through the process of becoming more and more complex, the universe generated conscious observers who contemplate the very meaning of existence of the universe as well as their own and ask the question: “Why are we here?” What are the origins of this amazing complexity in the universe? What are the origins and conditions of continuing complexity in the universe?

Students are encouraged to choose some aspects of this question, from which they may generate more focused essays. The following sub-questions are provided as exemplary questions. Applicants may choose their own research questions Ïprovided that such questions are directly or significantly relevant to the above Big Question.

Exemplary sub-questions:

• What are the conditions for the universe to evolve to a high degree of complexity?
• What are the key stages of increasing complexity in the universe? How do they come about?
• Will the complexity of the universe continue to increase? If so, how long?
• Or, are there any theoretical limits to the complexity of the universe?

• Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos by M. Mitchell Waldrop
• Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces that Shape the Universe by Martin Rees
• At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity by Stuart Kauffman
• The Anthropic Cosmological Principle by John Barrow & Frank Tipler
• Intelligent Life in the Universe: Principles and Requirements behind Its Emergence by Peter Ulmschneider

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries: bigquestions@oddjob.uchicago.edu

For submissions: submit online here

Website: http://www.newfrontiersinastronomy.org/

Deadline: 15 June 2012

In celebration of cultural unity and respect, Harvest International welcomes poetry submissions in any language. International contributors are welcomed to submit as well.

Each issue, Harvest International awards two poetry prizes:

• Steve Whaley Poetry Prize — $200 — to the U. S. contributor whose poetry most eloquently expresses the human condition while promoting greater awareness of human interrelatedness.
• Other Voices Poetry Prize — $200 — awarded by Roger Humes to the international contributor whose poetry best fulfills the above criteria.

The winner must provide tax ID number or social security number, signature, and full legal name in order to receive payment from Cal Poly Pomona Foundation. The recipient has the right to refuse payment.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Harvest International is seeking original, unpublished poetry, short fiction, song lyrics, essays, and black and white artwork from children and adults.

In celebration of cultural unity and respect, we welcome poetry submissions in any language, as well as submissions from international contributors.

Entrants may submit one piece in each category. Manuscripts must be typed, double-spaced, and should not exceed 3000 words. Please follow MLA standards where applicable.

Please e-mail your manuscript and a brief bio to the Harvest Editor-in-Chief, Jill Walker, at jswalker@csupomona.edu. Submit two copies: one with no identifying information, and one with a cover page including your name, preferred mailing address, telephone number, and email address.

If you prefer, send hard copies of your manuscripts, along with a WORD (not PDF) formatted disk and a brief bio to the following address:

Harvest International
c/o Faculty Advisor, Professor Gill-Mayberry
Cal Poly University, EFL Department
3801 West Temple Ave.
Pomona, CA. 91768

All rights revert to the author upon publication.

Deadline: 15 June 2012

The second issue of Bakwa will be themed and its focus will be on conversations/interviews. We are interested in conversations with artists which will highlight the process of creation as well as its impediments and challenges. Our aim is to give an insight to the personality of the artist which is usually obfuscated by art and second-guessed by criticism and speculation. We intend to sort of set the record straight by hearing what the artist has to say, given that the notable Italian semiotician and historian, Umberto Eco, opines that interpretation is indefinite.

We would very much appreciate it if contributors queried us first to inform us about a submission concerning the interviews so that we can talk about the project. Nevertheless, we are still open to the regular features which include— poetry, fiction, photography, art, reviews, memoirs, journalistic pieces, travel writing etc.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For inquiries/ submissions: bakwaeditor@gmail.com

Website: http://bakwamagazine.wordpress.com/