[size=16pt]Official Rules and Guidelines[/size]

[size=13pt]Eligibility[/size]
1. The contest is open to undergraduate students and recent graduates from any discipline.
2. Entrant must be living in Nigeria.
3. Entrant must be a Nairaland member with an account age of no less than one year 6 months and a post count of at least 200.
4. Entrant may only submit ONE essay entry.

[size=13pt]Rules[/size]
1. Essays must be the sole and original work of the entrant and not previously published.
2. Essays must be between 400 and 700 words long. Every word of the essay will be counted.
3. Failure to adhere to the rules will result in disqualification.

[size=13pt]Topic[/size]
Choose a major problem in today's Nigeria within your field of study or area of interest.
1. Identify and give an assessment of the problem.
2. Describe a practical, feasible, and cost-effective solution or set of solutions for improvement.

[size=13pt]Submission[/size]
Essays must be submitted by December 14, 2014, midnight, using this online form: http://babyosisi.coffeecup.com/forms/nl-essay-contest/. Do not post them on this thread. After submission, the entries will be posted on the official submission thread here: https://www.nairaland.com/2029165/official-submission-thread-babyosisi-christmas

On the form, you will need to upload a picture of one of the following:
* NYSC call up letter
* NYSC discharge letter
* university certificate
* student ID card

The information will be kept confidential, and will only be seen by the organizer handling the prize payouts. The names on the document submitted must match the name on the bank accounts of the prize winners.

[size=13pt]Judging[/size]
1. Judging will be done by Nairaland members: berem, CFCfan, aisha2, and MissMeiya.
2. Scoring:
----Subject (adherence to topic, originality, feasibility): 40 points
----Organization and Style (phrasing and continuity): 25 points
----Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling: 25 points
----Adherence to Word Limit: 10 points (1 point will be deducted for every word outside the specified word range–entries that exceed this amount will be immediately disqualified)
3. Entries will be judged anonymously, identified by a number.

[size=13pt]Winners[/size]
1. First-place winner – 50% of total prize money
2. Second-place winner – 30%
3. Third-place winner – 20%
4. Fourth-place winner – ₦₦₦ mobile airtime

Winners will be notified by December 19, 2014.