Education: A chance to try your skills at the art of political argument

WITH support from the Independent, the Citizenship Foundation is organising a political writing competition linked to the 1994/95 Motorola Youth Parliament Competition. The judges will be Judith Judd, Education Editor of the Independent, and Andrew Marr, the paper's Chief Political Commentator. Their decision will be final.

There are two competition categories, and it would be very helpful if entries could be typed:

1. A Law I/We Would Like to Change or Introduce

Students are asked to design a two-sided leaflet setting out the arguments for changing or introducing a particular law. It should be imaginative, eye- catching and set out the arguments clearly and simply.

It could indicate where the existing position is unsatisfactory and the most important aspects of the proposed new law.

This is open to individuals and groups of students in two age bands, 11-14 and 14 upwards.

2. A political column or newspaper leader on a political topic.

Imagine either that you are a political columnist and write one of your regular columns, or that you are the editor of a newspaper and write a leader on a political subject.

These should be not more than 800 words and may be serious or lighthearted, provided that they have a political theme of some kind. This is open to individual students in two age groups, 11-14 and 14 upwards.

Time scale: Send entries by 10 March 1995 to: The Citizenship Foundation, Weddel House, 13 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9HY, Tel: 071-236 2171/Fax: 071-329 3702. (The Foundation is happy to answer questions.)

Winners will be notified at the beginning of June 1995 and the results announced in the Independent

Prizes: Prizewinners will be invited to join the overall national winner of the Motorola Youth Parliament Competition, at the House of Commons, to receive their prizes of book tokens. They will have lunch with MPs and meet political journalists from the Independent who work in the Lobby.