NHEF ESSAY CONTEST RULES AND AWARDS

Eligibility Requirements

All year 3-5 university students attending a Nigeria Higher Education Foundation (NHEF) partner university are eligible for the essay contest. NHEF partner universities include Ahmadu Bello University, Bayero University, University of Ibadan, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and University of Port Harcourt.
The NHEF will verify the enrollment of each entrant with the university’s registrar.
Students must submit all essays on or before the contest due date on February 28th 2015.
Students who have family members serving as contest judges are not eligible to participate.

Contest Regulations
All essays must comply with the following contest rules before submission:
No literary form other than an essay will be accepted.
Each essay must reflect the contestant's own research, writing and original thinking.
Only one (1) essay may be submitted by each contestant.
Each essay must include a title page, a bibliography and a scanned copy of the contestant’s current student ID.
The title page must include the following information:
author's name
author’s student/registration ID #
school name
author’s enrollment year in school
NHEF will verify the enrollment of each contestant with the university registrar.
Essays must be typed.
The student’s registration ID# MUST appear on the top of each page (header) of the essay text.

The essay text is limited to 500 words, double-spaced, 12-point font, single-sided, numbered pages with one-inch margins. The title page, bibliography and header are not included in the 500 word count.
References in the essay should be included and clearly identified.
Submit your essay via e-mail at essay@thenhef.org.
Entries must be submitted on or before the contest due date on February 28th 2015.
Essays will become property of the NHEF. The NHEF may reprint the essays in its mediums and publications. Appropriate citations will be given to the writers of all essays.

Judging
The NHEF will judge the essays using five criteria. A sample scoring sheet follows.
Essay Scoring Sheets
Rate each of the five categories 1 through 20, with 20 as the highest score. Add the five categories to reach the essay's final score.
Essay Number _____________
I.
Comprehension (1-20 points) _________
How well does the essay reflect a thorough comprehension of the issues involved in the essay topic?
II.
Organization (1-20 points) __________
Does the argument follow a logical and easily understood progression? Does corroborating evidence support the essay's main points?
III.
Conclusions (1-20 points) __________
Do the conclusions follow logically from the argument? How compelling are the conclusions?
IV.
Creativity (1-20 points) ___________
Use of diverse resources, including interviews. Creative angle on the issue.
V.
Writing (1-20 points) ____________
Correct grammar, spelling, punctuation. Concise language.
Final Score _____________

1/27/2015