PRIZE:
Gold Award US$20,000
2 Silver Awards, each US$10,000
3 Bronze Awards, each US$5,000
DEADLINE: 30 Sept 2007
WEBSITE/URL: http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/essaycompetition.nsf/

DESCRIPTION:
The International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group (IFC) and the Financial Times (FT) are pleased to jointly announce their second annual Essay Competition. This year’s theme is “Private Sector Development: Creating Markets, Transforming Lives.”

The Competition is soliciting action-oriented essays that:

* Provide insight into current Private Sector Development (PSD) research
* Develop and support the implementation of leading-edge PSD initiatives
* Strike a balance between conceptual and practical considerations for private-sector involvement in developing countries, and the effect of that involvement on development
* Reflect innovative, data-supported research resulting from the author’s own professional or academic work
* Target economic & financial policymakers, the international financial community and/or international domestic investors

Entries accepted: April 25, 2007 to September 30, 2007.

To enter, see Submission Procedures & Timeline

Six awards will be granted to the top papers as judged by the Awards Committee:
Gold Award US$20,000
2 Silver Awards, each US$10,000
3 Bronze Awards, each US$5,000

IFC and FT will publish all winning essays on their external websites and may provide publication in additional formats at their discretion.