Discussion Event at the Business Forum
EBRD Annual Meeting
Tbilisi, 14-15 May 2015
Working Title:
Tbilisi 2015 / The Caucasus 2051
A history of our future: Our fears, our hopes, our lives
The EBRD is planning an essay competition and discussion event with university students from the Caucasus region. This discussion event will be part of the EBRD Business Forum at the Bank’s Annual Meeting in Tbilisi on 14-15 May 2015.
The idea is to invite students from universities in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to reflect upon their respective country and their region – and to set out their vision for how it will look in the future. How do young people in this extraordinary corner of the world imagine their own lives and the lives of their nations in a few decades’ time?
The selected universities will run the competition as they see fit for their institution, soliciting essays from students with a length up to1,500 words maximum. The essays may be written in English, in the students’ native language (Armenian, Azeri or Georgian), or in Russian. The style of the essay is at the discretion of the student – it may be analytical, reflective, poetic or humorous, literary or scientific. The respective universities will decide which classes, departments or faculties to involve (history, political science, etc.) in the competition, and devise a way of selecting the best three essays from each university for submission to the Bank.
There will be three finalists from each country, nine in total. The EBRD will translate their essays into English, convene an international selection committee and choose the winners. All nine finalists will be invited to the EBRD Annual Meeting in Tbilisi and will participate in the discussion event at the close of the Business Forum. Three of the finalists may be selected to be part of a panel discussion on the future of the Caucasus region, to be moderated by the EBRD and to include an external specialist.
There will be prizes awarded to the nine finalists, including the three winners of the competition. The prizes will be announced and distributed at an awards ceremony at the discussion event. What prizes are to be offered is still to be determined.
The EBRD will be seeking corporate sponsorship for this event, and will invite representatives of the sponsor to attend the discussion and award ceremony in Tbilisi. Transportation and lodging expenses for students from Baku and Erevan will be paid or reimbursed by the EBRD.
Finally, an online publication of all 9 essays in the original language and English translation is planned – as is a printed publication of the winning entries.
Competition Rules
• Each university is responsible for conducting the competition and selecting the final essays for submission in a manner deemed most appropriate to the institution. The EBRD is in no way responsible for the selection of the finalists from each institution.
• All essays submitted must be the work of the student and may not exceed the 1,500 word limit.
• If not submitted in English, the final essays will be translated into English by the EBRD.
• All essays become the property of the EBRD and may be used in online or printed publications at the discretion of the EBRD.
• The EBRD reserves the right to publish the essays in abbreviated form, or to publish segments of the essays online and in print.
• Essays submitted may not incite racial, ethnic or national animosity, nor be inflammatory or insulting to individuals, groups or countries.
• All essays must be submitted by the respective university selection committee to the EBRD by 15 February 2015.
• The student finalists in the competition will be invited to attend the Annual Meeting and Business Forum in Tbilisi.
• The Bank will provide visual assets, including its logo as well as text, for the universities to use as they see fit in the competition.
The TSU students are invited to submit the essays at
essay@tsu.ge
within January 15, 2015.
(Please, indicate your name, surname and faculty)
