About the Competition

This competition represents the second such initiative by Vinyl 2010, driven by the underlying theme of sustainable development. Young people aged 18-30 years across Europe and beyond were invited to express their views on one of the key challenges facing our planet - namely, in the face of a food and energy crisis, how can we improve the living standards of the worlds growing population in a sustainable way?

The exact essay theme for this year's competition is set out below:

"Faced with a food and energy crisis, how can society improve its well-being?"

In this year's competition, a total of 208 excellent essay submissions were received from across Europe and around the world.

INCREASED PRIZE FUND FOR 2008/9: There were a range of prizes in this year's competition with the opportunity to win a total of up to €5,000. Following the success of last year's event, this year's competition also included new prizes - such as a Global and special 'Industry' awarded prize - in addition to 1st , 2nd and 3rd place prizes for entries from across Europe. Furthermore, the winners will have a number of opportunities to see their work published and could have the chance to attend a prestigious international event on sustainable development.

This year's Competition was organised in conjunction with a wide range of partner organisations with interests in the field of sustainable development, including Café Babel (for more details, log onto: www.cafebabel.com).

More information about the (non-industry) judges can be found here.