Health Essay Competition

Young voices in research for health

The Global Forum for Health Research and The Lancet are sponsoring their fourth joint essay competition with the theme Innovating for the health of all, held in conjunction with Forum 2009, the annual meeting of the Global Forum that takes place in Havana, Cuba, from 16 to 20 November.

The Global Forum's vision is of a world in which the potential of research and innovation is fully utilized to address the health problems of the poor. Innovation is defined as the creation, development and implementation of a new product, process or service, with the aim of improving efficiency, effectiveness or competitive advantage. Research for health therefore goes far beyond medicine and biology, to include sectors such as economics, environment, politics, sociology and others. Innovating for the health of all involves both social and technological innovation

Within the broad range of the theme, essays are invited from young professionals working in or interested in the wide spectrum of research for health and health equity.

Eligibility

• Authors must have been born on or after 1 January 1979.
• The competition is open to young people from all disciplines (for instance, social sciences and humanities, engineering, environment, nutrition, health, etc.) and backgrounds (such as academia, NGO, private sector, social entrepreneur, etc.).

Rules and guidelines

• Each author may submit one essay only.
• Essays may be submitted in English, French or Spanish and should be 1500 words maximum.
• Essays must be based on the author’s own ideas and not be derived from another source.
• Essays must not have been previously published.
• Entries are individual (i.e., the work of a single author).
• They should include original, even provocative ideas and not be technical or academic texts: tables, charts and figures are probably not necessary; references should be limited.
• Authors are free to be idealistic, passionate, to take established practices to task, albeit in a constructive fashion.
• Within the context of research for health, the theme Innovating for the health of all allows authors to include any aspect that interests them particularly.

Deadlines

• The deadline for receipt of entries is 13 May 2009.
• A shortlist will be announced by the end of June. Shortlisted authors will be asked to provide a print-quality photograph and to confirm original authorship and date of birth.
• The winners will be notified by the beginning of August 2009. The judges’ decision will be final.

Prizes

• A selection of shortlisted essays will be published in an anthology as well as on the Global Forum and Lancet websites.
• Winners will be invited to take part (with all expenses paid) in Forum 2009. the annual meeting of the Global Forum for Health Research, which will take place in Havana, Cuba, from 16 to 20 November 2009.

Staff members of the Global Forum or of the Lancet or their immediate families are ineligible to enter the competition, as are authors of commended and winning entries from previous years.

Submit your essay online

For any questions, please contact susan.jupp@globalforumhealth.org or Udani Samarasekera u.samarasekera@lancet.com

Moreinfo: http://www.globalforumhealth.org/filesupld/Essay2009/EssayCompetitionAdEnFeb09.pdf