Chiamaka Ajeamo
The REEL Foundation has announced 15 youngsters as winners of its maiden edition of the ‘Young Writers Challenge’ (YWC) in Lagos.
Taking into consideration the learning gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the YWC; a story writing competition was designed to provide an avenue for children aged 7-13 years across Nigeria to be resourcefully engaged outside the physical school environment with the goal to ignite imagination, ingenuity, promote, reward diligence and excellence. It was on this backdrop that contestants were asked to write a story on how COVID-19 has impacted their life or people around them and what has been learned from the experience of staying at home.
The challenge, which received a total of 342 applications, from over 20 states including the FCT, produced 15 finalists; 10 from the ages 10-13 category and five from the ages 7-9 category. The top three winners of the first category ages 10-13 were: Ramlah Ibrahim Maigari; first position while Ola Inioluwa and Chidera Michelle Duru took the second and third positions respectively. For the second category ages 7-9; Oluwademilade Emmanuel Esho; took first place while David Khalid and Grace Oluwadarasimi Ogunrotimi, took the second and third places respectively.
For the first category; the first position was awarded N50,000 cash prize, the second got N30,000, the third N15,000 and a tablet device each while the remaining seven each received N10,000 cash prize only.
The second category top three winners received N20,000, N15,000, N10,000 cash prizes, 9ja Kids activity books and a scholarship to attend iRead story Writers Academy, launched by iRead mobile library each, while the remaining two got N5,000 cash prize and 9ja Kids activity books.
Speaking at the event, the Founder of REEL Foundation, Olatunde Ajoke Adeola, said the goals of the competition was to provide an opportunity for children to capture their imagination and ingenuity in a creative way to foster learning even outside the classroom, create an equal platform for children irrespective of background to showcase their creativity/ skills and get rewarded for it, increase the awareness on COVID-19 pandemic particularly for children in a fun and creative way and; promote children’s digital literacy skills via the use of digital tools.