WTO Youth Ambassador Programme
Full terms and conditions

The contest

Participants are required to make a short video (no more than three minutes) or write a brief essay (up to 1,000 words) that addresses the following question:

How can trade promote development?

In their submissions participants should highlight the importance of the issue, describe the main challenges and propose policy recommendations.

 

Eligibility

Participants must be at least 18 years of age, and no older than 25 years of age, on the date of submission of their essay or video. Proof of age will be required from all finalists.

All submissions (video and essay) shall be accompanied by a one-page (300 words maximum) text in which the participants outline the activities that they intend to undertake as WTO Youth Ambassadors to promote the principles and values of the multilateral trading system within their communities, should they win the contest. This is an opportunity for participants to demonstrate how the role of the WTO Youth Ambassador can be used to make a positive impact.

Current or former staff members of the World Trade Organization and their immediate family members are not eligible for consideration in the contest.

 

Deadline for submissions

The deadline for all submissions is midnight (Geneva time) on 30 June 2012. All essay submissions should be sent either as a Word document or as a PDF to [email protected] indicating Youth Ambassador Contest in the subject line.

To submit a video, the contestant must be a registered user of YouTube or another online video sharing site. To sign up for an account on YouTube, please visit http://www.youtube.com/create_account

The submission must be in English, French or Spanish, or must be subtitled in one of those languages.  For simple instructions on how to create closed captioned subtitles for YouTube videos, please see http://www.youtube.com/t/captions_about

Upload your video message to www.youtube.com or another online video sharing site using your personal account, with the tag: WTOvideo2012.

There is no fee for entering this contest.

The WTO will ask finalists and winners to provide a copy of their original video file prior to distributing prizes. Accordingly, participants should keep a copy of their videos in the original format.

By submitting their work to the contest, participants grant the WTO the right to copy, edit, modify, publish, distribute and/or display the content of the work and elements embodied within it.

Contestants are solely responsible for submitting qualifying entries. The WTO is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected and/or damaged submissions or for technical errors, malfunctions, and/or delays that may prevent participants from uploading submissions for the contest.

The WTO, its personnel and agents are not responsible for third party claims from participants relating to loss, damage, prejudice, liability or expense suffered in connection with video or written submissions, any other acts or omissions or any information provided by participants.

Participation in the contest, including selection to receive a prize, in no manner constitutes an endorsement or support by the WTO of participants’ views or aims, nor of any products or services. Participants shall not advertise any products or services by means of the contest, nor otherwise claim to have obtained endorsement or support for advertising from the WTO by means of the contest. The WTO name and logo are the property of the WTO and shall not be used in any manner whatsoever without the prior consent of the WTO. The WTO must approve in writing any statement, advertisement, press release or similar communication in any media relating to participation in the contest.

All submissions shall be original and unpublished work. Participants may not submit any work previously used in any other competition or that has been previously published.

The submissions shall not contain any offensive or inappropriate content, infringe on any intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity, violate any laws or advocate illegal activity.

 

Selection panel

A selection panel made up of four WTO staff and the Chairman of the General Council or his/her representative will be responsible for choosing the finalists for each category. Winners will be selected on the basis of creativity, originality, message content, overall presentation and policy recommendations.

 

Prize

The winner of the best video and essay submission will be invited to the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland to present their ideas at the WTO Public Forum from 24 to 26 September 2012. The WTO will fund and arrange the travelling details. If the winner lives in the Geneva region, a comparable prize will be awarded. There are no cash alternatives to this prize.

The finalists for each category will be selected in mid-July 2012. Finalists will be notified by e-mail and their names will be published on the website of the WTO Public Forum. Finalists in each category will be contacted by email at the address provided at the time of submission. No other participants will be contacted.

Contestants can participate either individually or as a team. Prizes for team entries will be awarded to the person who submits the work. The WTO assumes no responsibility for prize distribution among team members.

If, following reasonable attempts, a winning entrant cannot be contacted, the WTO reserves the right to offer the prize to the next best entry.

The WTO reserves the right to not select a winner or winners if entries received are judged to be of insufficient quality.

Any attempt by a participant to influence the result or subvert the competition will lead to immediate disqualification.

The WTO reserves the right to modify or cancel the contest or any of the arrangements, schedules, plans or other items directly or indirectly related to the contest at any time and for any reason if deemed necessary.

 

Publication

The winning essay will be published in the WTO Public Forum Publication and the winning video will be posted on the WTO’s YouTube channel and featured on the WTO’s social media platforms.