The Mighty Pen
15,000 youth participate in this year's "The Mighty Pen" Writing Competition in Nepal
April 1, 2010
Toronto, Canada
Tempus International is pleased to announce the awards ceremony for its third bi-annual “The Mighty Pen” writing competition for youth in Nepal will take place on May 7, 2010 in Kathmandu. Over 15,000 students from 30 rural regions in Nepal submitted entries for this year’s competition between July and October 2009. From these submissions, 18 national winners were selected and will receive tuition scholarships to further their education.
The original contest held in 2005 attracted 1,000 participants, who submitted original pieces of writing for a nation-wide competition. The success of the competition was demonstrated once again two years later, when the second contest in 2007 saw more than 13,000 participants from rural regions across Nepal.
“Congratulations to all of the participants in this year’s competition. The participation rate of the 2009-10 edition of The Mighty Pen has increased once again, demonstrating the keen interest of the youth in Nepal to participate in literacy opportunities and celebrate their native Nepalese language.” noted Bonnie Shepherd, Executive Director of the Toronto-based charity. “I look forward to attending the awards ceremony in Kathmandu this May to meet with the national winners and to celebrate your outstanding achievements!”
Tempus International, a Canadian NGO founded in 2003, facilitates the bi-annual writing competition for youth from 30 rural regions across Nepal. To address the low levels of literacy, and the lack of children’s literature in Nepal, the contest participants wrote short stories to be published into a Nepalese children’s book. From the thousands of submitted written entries, a panel of community leaders will select the eighteen exceptional winners (nine girls and nine boys from three different age categories). The winners are then invited to attend The Mighty Pen’s award ceremony in Kathmandu with all of their travel expenses covered by Tempus International, who also awards the students a tuition scholarship to support their continued pursuit of education.
In a final testament to their achievement, the student’s combined works will be published into a children’s book, which will help grow the children’s literature sections in the libraries and schools across Nepal, with over 2,000 copies being distributed to the rural regions. Spearheading The Mighty Pen contest in Nepal once again with be Tempus International’s country director, Kushum Maharjan. Stay tuned for photos and a list of winners following the awards ceremony on May 7th.
About Tempus International
Tempus International is an award-winning Canadian-based charity that works to promote sustainable development by organizing literacy and education projects that provide opportunities for underprivileged youth to get ahead in life. They are a volunteer based organization, and their bi-annual writing competition in Nepal is now known as “The Mighty Pen”. To make a contribution to support Tempus’s initiatives, click here.
