PINat15 Essay/Debate Competition 2022 for African Youths

This year, Paradigm Initiative will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a two-part event that will bring together Partners, Friends of PIN, Alumni, Volunteers, PIN Team Members, other inclusion stakeholders. These events are PIN@15, which will take place in Lagos, Nigeria on July 23, 2022 to celebrate PIN’s milestone, and The PIN Festival (PINFest), which will take place in Harare, Zimbabwe from October 10 to October 14, 2022.

As part of the commemorative activities for this day. The Paradigm Initiative is hosting an Essay/Debate Competition for young and outstanding African youth between the ages of 18 and 20 who are passionate about digital rights and inclusion on the continent and want to make their voices heard.

PINat15 Essay/Debate Competition Benefits

The debate finalists will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Zimbabwe and a laptop set at the PIN Festival, which will take place from October 10 to 14.

PINat15 Essay/Debate Competition Eligibility

Participants must be between the ages of 18 and 25 to participate.
The competition is only open to Africans who live in Africa; the essay should not be longer than 1500 words.

PINat15 Essay/Debate Competition Rules

The First Round

Argumentative Essay: Please share an essay with a word count of no more than 1500 on the following topic: Are the social and cultural norms in Africa impeding the realisation of digital rights and inclusion?
In the essay, you should argue either for or against the proposition.

The Second Round

To prepare for the virtual debate that will take place via zoom on Thursday, July 20, 2022, a total of 8 candidates will be chosen and then split evenly between two groups of four (FOR and AGAINST) candidates.
The winners of the debate will be announced on the evening of Saturday, July 23, 2022, during the PIN Anniversary Dinner.
The four most exceptional competitors will be chosen, with two coming from each of the two teams, to compete in the final round.