Novartis launches writing contest on malaria
MANILA, Philippines - Novartis and Malaria No More, a non-governmental organization committed to ending malaria deaths in Africa, have launched the “World Briefing: Telling the Malaria Story” contest to spread the word about malaria prevention and treatment, and help ease this global problem
The contest is open to graduate students up to 35 years of age currently enrolled at an accredited university in the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Philippines, and Venezuela.
Contestants must develop a blog post of 500 words or less in English, that focuses on the current malaria burden and ways in which their generation can make progress in the fight against malaria. They must also develop a tweet, or sentence of 140 characters or less, explaining why they should win the contest.
Malaria is a highly preventable and treatable disease yet, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one million people die of malaria each year, mostly children. It remains a major public health concern in the Philippines, where Department of Health (DOH) data show that the mosquito-borne disease is prevalent in 58 of the country’s 80 provinces, mostly in the poorest municipalities.
Between May 1 and May 12, representatives of Novartis and Malaria No More will evaluate all the entries and select the top six entries (two from each of the following regions: Latin America/Asia; Europe; and the United States).
Between May 12 and May 26, the top six entries will be posted on Malaria No More’s contest web site (www.worldbriefing.org), at which time the general public will have the opportunity to review and vote for their favorite entry. A task force of judges from across the globe, composed of representatives from Novartis, Malaria No More, and/or a college professor or journalist, will determine the three winners based on a weighted formula that considers the votes of the task force and general public. The three winners will be announced on the week of May 31.
The three winners will travel with the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation team to a malaria-endemic country in Africa in September, October or November 2010. They will have an opportunity to meet officials from the Ministry of Health and National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) and learn about current efforts underway.
