Secondary Students Invited to Compete for Science Awards

DStv Eutelsat Star Awards 2013

OPPORTUNITIES for winning science and technology awards are up for grab by secondary school students in the country.

MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat Communications are jointly administering the awards on satellite impact on the development of African continent. The awards, besides celebrating the world telecommunication and information society day, are centered on creation of awareness on how science and technology could be applied to everyday life.

MultiChoice Tanzania Public Relation Manager Barbara Kambogi told the 'Daily News' in Dar es Salaam yesterday that registration for DStv Eutelsat Star Awards is well on progress until the third week of next September.

"There are two category awards--for essay writing and painting," said Kambogi, hinting that four Tanzanians were shortlisted for the final list last year, with one making it to the top 10 in Africa.

The competition that enters into its third year seeks to inspire innovative thinking among secondary and high school students in 42 countries across Africa and create awareness on how science and technology can be applied to everyday life. The students are required to showcase the many ways through which satellites have impacted on development of African continent by either writing an essay or painting.

Last year, three students from Aghakan Mzizima and one from Bagamoyo-based Marian Girls won various prizes including laptops and ipads. The top winner of the competition gets an opportunity to visit astronaut's village in France.

The MultiChoice Africa Chief Executive, Nico Meyer says the new edition of the Star Awards challenge high school students from over 42 African countries to propose how they would use the satellites in space to address three community, country or African continental priorities.

The annual awards, which grew from 800 entries in 2011 to over 1000 last year, take the form of a competition open to 14-19 year-old students.