Call For Entries for the 2019 Omnicane Award

“The role and importance of Kreol Morisien as a tool for communication, education, social integration and economic development in Mauritius. What should be done to further promote its use and status in the nation building process?”

Call for Entries
1. The inter-college project competitioni is organised by Omnicane Foundationii in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research.

2. Teams participating in the competition are expected to produce a PowerPoint presentation to support a 15-minute oral presentation on the abovementioned theme and be prepared to make the oral presentation, should the team be shortlisted to do so by the Jury.

3. The competition is open to all registered colleges of the Republic of Mauritius but limited to pupils of Grade 11 (ex-Form V) and Grades 12 & 13 (ex-Lower and Upper VI) (or equivalent).

4. Each project shall be prepared by a team of FIVE students, one of whom shall be the Team Leader. Teams composed of more than, or less than, FIVE members will not be allowed to participate.

5. Projects should reflect the combined and joint effort of all five members of the respective teams. A college may enter more than one team but shall not enter more than FOUR (4) teams.

6. No student shall be allowed to be a member of more than one team.

7. With the objective of promoting a paperless competition, all projects shall be exclusively submitted online.

8. Each team shall submit the following five (5) files to be prepared in English:
a. A 15-minutes-long presentation on the theme of the competition in Microsoft PowerPoint format. (Maximum size: 8 MB)
b. A copy of the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format. (Maximum size: 1 MB)
c. An abstract, in pdf format, of the team’s key findings, proposals and recommendations. The abstract should be between 750 and 1 000 words in length. (Maximum size: 1 MB)
d. A WORK DIARY, in pdf format. The Work Diary shall describe the work strategy of the team and list all visits and interviews with dates in chronological order together with an indication of what was gained therefrom. Any support or facilitation provided by a member of the college staff with regard to interviews and visits shall be mentioned in the Work Diary. (Maximum size: 1 MB)
e. A cover letter, in pdf format, signed by the Rector/Principal to endorse the project. (Maximum size: 1 MB)

9. Indications concerning the PowerPoint slide show:
 There shall be a minimum of 20 slides and a maximum of 30 slides, inclusive of the opening slide as well as of those used for photographs, graphics, videos, etc.;
 The opening slide shall include the Project Title, the College name and the names of the five participants, the name of the Project Leader being first on the list;
 The slides shall be properly numbered; and
 The font-size of texts on slides shall be at least 24 points.

10. The PowerPoint slide show may include a maximum of two (2) videos. Each video shall not be longer than 30 seconds. Students are advised not to embed the videos in their PowerPoint slide show in order not to increase the size of the PPT file beyond the limits specified in 8a. above. Instead, videos may be uploaded on YouTube as hidden files, so that they may not be accessed publicly, and appropriate links included on the PPT slides.

11. On the basis of the projects entered by the participants, the jury will decide which teams should be invited to make an oral presentation of their project on the theme of the competition while using Microsoft PowerPoint facilities.

12. Each short-listed team will be invited to make an oral presentation of its project in the presence of the jury.

13. The results of the project competition will be announced during the prize-giving ceremony, to be organised during the month of August or September 2019.
The winning team will be expected to make the oral presentation of their project at the end of the prize-giving ceremony.

14. Marks will be allotted on the following basis to short-list the best teams:
a. Scope and methodology of research work involved (based on work diary and contents of Abstract and PowerPoint slide show) 25
b. PowerPoint slides (restitution of main ideas, organisation of sections, and visual characteristics of graphs and illustrations) 25
c. Understanding of issues posed, project approach and informative & practical value of comments and proposals (based on quality of contents, flow of ideas and innovative features) 50

15. The short-listed teams will be marked for their oral presentation.
Marks will be attributed for:
a. Presentation and communication skills, including presence and articulation;
b. Visual support, including content of slides and their relevance;
c. Key findings;
d. Proposals and recommendations.

16. The decision of the jury shall be final and shall not be contested and/or changed.

17. Participants are allowed to interview people and to collect information for the preparation of their project but they should not in any way be helped in its planning, drafting and presentation. They will lose marks, or be disqualified, if, in the opinion of the jury, they have received undue assistance from their teachers or from outsiders.

18. The Jury will be composed of:
1. Mr (Professor) Vinesh Y. Hookoomsing PhD., Professor of Linguistics and Former Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mauritius. He was founding President of the Mauritian Cultural Centre (2001-2005) and chaired the Akademi Kreol Morisien (2010-2012), both set up by Government. His current research focuses on the development and use of Morisien for higher functions and levels.
2. Mr Raj Makoond, Former Chief Executive Officer of Business Mauritius, He is presently Program Director at Eclosia and Chairman of the Regional Energy Working Group of Business Mauritius.
3. Mrs Dr. Nita Rughoonundun-Chellapermal holds a PhD in Education Studies and an MPhil in General and Applied Linguistics. She is Associate Professor, Head of School of Arts and Humanities at the Mauritius Institute of Education.
Prizes offered by Omnicane Foundation will be as follows
First prize:
 To the college winning the competition: The Omnicane Challenge Trophy.
 To the pupils forming part of the winning team: A total cash prize of Rs 100 000 (i.e. Rs 20 000 to each member of the team).
Second prize:
 A total cash prize of Rs 40 000 (i.e. Rs 8 000 to each pupil forming part of the team).
Third prize:
 A total cash prize of Rs 10 000 (i.e. Rs 2 000 to each pupil forming part of the team).

19. Members of all participating teams will receive a Certificate of Participation.

20. All projects including the endorsement letter (in pdf format) signed by the Rector/Principal shall be submitted online at the following address: www.omnicane.com/2019omnicaneaward
Online submission will be open as from Friday 1st June 2019. Participants are advised to submit their projects as early as possible to avoid last minute rush. Closing date: Friday 7th June 2019
The organising committee shall not accept projects submitted after the due submission date.

21. Briefing Session • Grade 11 (ex-Form V) and Grades 12 & 13 (ex-Lower and Upper VI) (or equivalent) students interested in participating in this Inter-College Project Competition as well as their teachers are kindly invited to attend a briefing session which will be held on at the Bonâme Hall, Mauritius Cane Industry Authority (MCIA), Réduit, on Friday 22 March 2019 at 12.30 p.m. and at 1.15 p.m.