Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

Student contest in essay writing on the topic "What the Internet Gives Me and What It Takes of Me"

The Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications announces a contest for a student essay on “What the Internet Gives Me and What it Takes Away from Me". The initiative is a part of a series of events dedicated to the 150^th anniversary of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the 135^th anniversary of Bulgaria's membership in it.

Conditions for participation in the contest:

1. Eligibility

1.1  A prospective participant student must be aged up to 19 years by the deadline (please, see below)

1.2  If a participant has a family member working in the MTITC – his/her submission will not be accepted. An applicant whose family member is employed by the MTITC is not eligible to participate

1.3  Only essays written in the Bulgarian language will be accepted

2. Requirements

a)   An applicant can participate with only one essay

b) Every essay must be connected with the subject

c)   Only original works will be considered

d)  A work authored by more than one person will not be accepted

e)  The essays should be up to 3 standard pages

f)   Any essay containing notions suggesting violence, hatred, sexual discrimination, racism, diverse insults, materials or statements that affect or infringe the rights of other people will not be considered

g)  The following information must be enclosed to work:

-   Full name of the author

-   Contact information (e.g., phone number, email/postal address)

3. Deadline and Manner of Submission

a) The deadline for submission of the essays is October 30^th, 2015.

b) Please, send all essays to the following address: Ms. Yuria Nekleevich, European Integration and International Cooperation Directorate, Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications, 9, Dyakon Ignatiy Street, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.

c) The work of an applicant under the age of 16 should be signed and submitted by the applicant’s parent and/or guardian. Where the contestant is a juvenile, all the required documents for the competition shall be submitted and signed by:

-  A parent or guardian – in case of minors;

-  The participant and his/her guardian – in case of juveniles.

4. Evaluation

a) The essays will be evaluated by a jury including representatives of  the following Directorates: "Public Relations and Protocol", "European Coordination and International Cooperation", "Information Technology", "E-governance" and "Communications"

b) Only the winner of the competition will be contacted

5. Prize

- The winner will be awarded an object prize to the value of BGN 150

6. Other conditions

Each participant must be an author of the essay submitted, under sentence 1 of Article 5 of the Law on Copyright and Related Rights. Together with his/her essay each participant shall submit a signed declaration of authorship. Where a participant is a juvenile, the work shall be signed and submitted by:

- A parent or a guardian  - in case of minors;

- The participant and his/her guardian – in case of juveniles.

References to works, statements and thoughts of other authors shall be allowed upon indication of the relevant author. Plagiarism, including unauthorized use of thoughts and statements of other persons and attempting to present the latter as one’s own, shall not be allowed.

The author of an essay will be considered as the holder of the copyright. At the same time, every applicant will submit a signed authorization letter, with which the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications of the Republic of Bulgaria will be granted the right to use, free of charge, the winning essay in any way and through any medium, including without limitation. the right to publishing, adaptation, distribution, copying, displaying and translation.

Therefore, each participant shall sign and submit, together with the essay, an authorization for usage of the essay by the Ministry of Transport and Communications as referred to above. Where the contestant is a juvenile the declaration shall be signed by:

-  A parent or guardian - in case of minors;

-  The participant and his/her guardian – in case of juveniles.

Personal data protection

All the personal information provided by the applicants to the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications will be kept by the Ministry of Transport and Communications and will be used solely for the purposes of the competition in compliance with the requirements of the Law on Personal Data Protection.

The name of the winner and his/her essay will be published and the awarding ceremony may be subject of media coverage. The winner shall entitle the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications to publish photo and video images related to the contest.

Submitting an essay shall be considered as an agreement with the terms and conditions of the contest.

Non-compliance will result in disqualification.