Samir Shukla
Youth Essay Contest recognizes creative thinking and action to impact India’s future.
The 3rd annual contest will offer middle and high school youth the opportunity to share their input with philanthropists and business leaders.
The India Philanthropy Alliance (IPA), a U.S.-based coalition of 15 nonprofit, philanthropic, and charitable organizations that operate programs in India, has announced its third annual essay competition to recognize creative thinking and action among middle school and high school students who care about the welfare of India and its people. The competition is one of several IPA initiatives designed to grow the culture of philanthropy among Indian Americans, particularly youth. This year’s competition is one of the youth-inspired activities of IPA’s soon to be announced philanthropy week.
The inaugural Youth Essay Competition was held in 2020 to connect young people with nonprofits leading development and humanitarian work in India. Now in its third year, the contest is open to students across the United States, asking them to answer the prompt: What do you think is the most significant issue facing India and its people today? What role do you think individuals (young and old) and groups here in the U.S. can play in being a part of the solution?
A panel of philanthropy experts will determine the winners, runners-up, and finalists in two age cohorts. For middle school students, the essay length is 600 words or fewer, and for high school students, the limit is 1,200 words. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2022.
Winners and runners-up in each age category will be granted $1000 and $500 prizes, respectively, to direct to the organizations of their choice.
The fifteen member organizations of the IPA include Agastya USA, Akanksha Education Fund, American India Foundation, Antara International, Arogya World, CRY America, Dasra, Foundation for Excellence (FFE), Indiaspora, Magic Bus USA, Pratham USA, Project ECHO, Sehgal Foundation, VisionSpring and WISH Foundation.
For more details, visit IPA, Indiaphilanthropyalliance.org
