In commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War this year, the Philippine Embassy in South Korea, in partnership with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Seoul Global Center and the Philippine Resource Persons Group, will conduct an essay writing contest beginning February 26, 2010. The contest will have two categories: Category A for South Korean students who will be asked to write about the theme “The Philippines in the Korean War” and Category B for Filipinos currently residing in South Korea who will discuss “Finding Jose Rizal in South Korea: A Migrant’s Perspective.” The length of the essays should be 1,000 to 1,500 words. The contest will run for four weeks. The deadline for the submission of entries is 5pm on March 26. Winners will be announced on March 29.

BACKGROUND The contest aims to promote awareness on the significant role that the Philippines played in defending democracy during the Korean War and to further enhance nationalism among Filipinos residing in South Korea. In particular, 2010 will coincide with the 114th anniversary of the martyrdom of Filipino national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Dr. Rizal himself was a staunch defender of democracy, a lifelong trait he enhanced while studying in Europe and Asia as a migrant. CONTEST MECHANICS 1. Themes The contest will have two categories: Category A will be for South Korean students who will be asked to write about the theme “The Philippines in the Korean War” while Category B will be for Filipinos currently residing in South Korea who will discuss “Finding Jose Rizal in South Korea: A Migrant’s Perspective.” The length of the essays should be 1,000 to 1,500 words. 2. Language and Eligibility Category A The contestant should be a Korean national, born in 1994 or earlier, and currently enrolled. The essay should be original, unpublished and written in English. Proper documentation of facts, as footnotes or endnotes, is required. Relatives of past and present personnel of the Philippine Embassy and its attached agencies, up to the fourth degree of consanguinity, are not eligible to take part in the contest. Category B The contest is open to all Filipinos currently residing in South Korea. The essay should be original, unpublished and written in either English or Filipino. Proper documentation of facts, as footnotes or endnotes, is required. There is no age restriction for Filipino contestants. Relatives of past and present personnel of the Philippine Embassy and its attached agencies, up to the fourth degree of consanguinity, are not eligible to take part in the contest. 3. Duration of the contest The contest will have a four-week run from February 26 to March 26, 2010. Deadline is 5pm of March 26. Winners will be announced on March 29. The awarding is tentatively scheduled at the Philippine Embassy on March 31. 4. Contest Procedures and Requirements Category A a. Apart from the essay, Korean students must submit the following:  Proof of enrollment  Proof of birthday b. Only one entry per person is allowed. c. Essays must be emailed to seoulpe@philembassy-seoul.com before the deadline. Entries must be in “Read Only Word file.” d. The full name, email address and telephone/mobile number of the applicant must be written in the email. The “Read Only Word file” should contain no reference that would identify the applicant. e. The Philippine Embassy will assign random numbers to the essays, which will be submitted to the contest judges for grading. Category B a. Apart from the essay, Filipino contestants must prove that they are currently residing in South Korea. b. Only one entry per person is allowed. c. Essays must be emailed to seoulpe@philembassy-seoul.com before the deadline. Entries must be in “Read Only Word file.” d. The full name, email address and telephone/mobile number of the applicant must be written in the email. The “Read Only Word file” should contain no reference that would identify the applicant. e. The Philippine Embassy will assign random numbers to the essays, which will be submitted to the contest judges for grading. 5. Judging / Criteria Judges will be composed of Filipino professors in South Korea, journalists and embassy officials. Entries will be graded according to content (relevance and accuracy, 40%; creative thinking, 30%), structure and grammar (20%), and overall impact (10%). The decision of the judges will be final. 6. Minimum Awards a. The top entry from each category will receive the Medal of Academic Excellence from the Office of the Philippine President. The winners will also receive a plaque from the Philippine Embassy and some cash award. b. Runners-up will receive respective plaques. c. The winning entries will be published in both Philippine and Korean publications. For further details, please email us at seoulpe@philembassy-seoul.com.