DEADLINE : 14 January 2008, 5pm
“Infinite possibilities; finite resources”
The Ministry of Finance (MOF), in partnership with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY-SPP) and the Straits Times (ST), is pleased to invite entries for the Budget 2008 Essay Competition. Through the competition, MOF aims to promote greater awareness of and debate on Singapore’s fiscal policies and financing priorities. Students are invited to offer refreshing perspectives and compelling arguments on the future of public finance in Singapore.
All entrants must comply with the terms and conditions of the competition.
Competition Topic
1. The competition topic is “Infinite possibilities; finite resources”. Your essays should be of high quality and provide refreshing and comprehensive analyses and perspectives of issues. All essays should cover the following points:
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Present one or two key areas which warrant public spending and attention from the Government. These can be existing sectors (e.g. economic, social, security) which you think deserve further development, or new issues which the Government should act early on. In making your case, you must discuss what should be done by the Government to achieve your stated policy objective.
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Discuss how you would prioritise your selected issue(s) with our other spending needs, given the Government’s limited resources. Would you raise revenues to fund the expenditure increase (if so, how), or would you make trade-offs on other expenditure items?
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Provide full arguments and data (where possible) to support your case.
Eligibility Criteria
2. The competition is open to all students studying in Singapore and Singaporeans1 studying abroad, via the following categories:
| Senior Category |
Students between ages 17 to 25 |
| Junior Category |
Students between ages 13 to 16 |
Prizes
3. The following prizes will be given to the winning essays:
| Top 3 Essays (Senior Category) Top 3 Essays (Junior Category) |
$2,500, $1,200 and $500 cash $1,500, $600 and $300 cash |
5 Commendation Essays
(each Category) |
$50 cash and Certificates of Commendation |
10 Honourable Mention Essays
(each Category) |
Certificates of Honourable Mention |
4. The winning essays may receive media coverage and be showcased by MOF.
Presentation Format
5. Entries must be in English and typed double-spaced in Times New Roman font sized 14. Essays may be sent in hard- or soft-copy, but hard-copy essays should be printed on one side of each sheet of paper. The essay should not be longer than 2,500 words. This excludes charts, tables, footnotes, references and appendices.
6. A summary of no more than 300 words highlighting the main points of the essay must also be provided.
Submission of Essays
7. The deadline for submission is 14 January 2008, 5pm.
8. Every participant must append to his or her entry an identification form which can be downloaded from the Budget 2008 website. Please note that incomplete identification may lead to the disqualification of the essay entry.
9. We encourage entries to be sent via softcopy to MOF_Essay@mof.gov.sg. Alternatively, entries can be sent via hardcopy to “Budget 2008 Essay Competition, Ministry of Finance, 100 High Street, #10-01, The Treasury Building, Singapore 179434”.
Supplementary Information
10. Every participant is limited to one essay. The essays must be original in their content. Entries found to contain plagiarism will be disqualified.
11. The winning essays will be selected by a panel of judges comprising representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and the Straits Times. The judges’ decision is final.
12. Members of the judging panel (and their immediate family members) are not eligible to enter the essay competition.
13. All essay submissions will become the property of MOF. MOF shall reserve the right to edit the essays for publication.
14. We regret that only prize winners will be contacted. Results will be announced in February 2008.
Inquiries
15. Please send any inquiries on the Budget 2008 Essay Competition to the following email address: MOF_Essay@mof.gov.sg. Alternatively, you may wish to contact:
Azkiah Zakaria
Ministry of Finance
Tel no.: 633 24562
Ang Yee Ling
Ministry of Finance
Tel no.: 633 27372
source: Singapure Budget Gov. site