adminYoung Zimbabweans are being invited to enter and stand a chance of winning prizes in either the essay or poster sections of the competition.
The awards competition is the result of a partnership between Eutelsat and MultiChoice Africa and aims at inspiring innovative thinking among high-school students as well as creating awareness of how science and technology can be applied to everyday life.
The competition showcases the many ways that satellites already impact on the development of the African continent. This year’s theme is: how can satellite technology help expand Africa’s horizons into the future? The awards take the form of a competition open to students aged between 14 and 19 in 42 countries in Africa.
MultiChoice Zimbabwe publicity and public relations manager Liz Dziva said students are invited to write an essay or design a poster depicting how innovative use of satellite technology in the fields of communication, earth observation or navigation can propel Africa into the future.
Winners at national level win prizes such as computers or tablet computers and go forward to compete in the international competition.
The winning international essay recipient will win a trip with a parent or guardian to Eutelsat in Paris and will witness a live rocket launch.
Dziva said the best poster winner and a parent or guardian will also win a visit to Eutelsat in France and will visit a satellite manufacturing facility. The overall runners-up win a trip for two to visit MultiChoice facilities and the South African Space Agency near Johannesburg, South Africa.
“The schools attended by the overall award winners and runners-up will be rewarded with a DStv installation, including dish, television, state-of-the-art PVR decoder and free access to the DStv Education Bouquet,” she said.
Dziva said to enter, students can obtain copies of the entry form and rules at MultiChoice Zimbabwe offices in Harare, Chitungwiza, Bulawayo and Mutare, or they can download a copy from www.dstvstarawards.com. Entries for the awards close on 8 October.
Dziva said that technology-based companies operating in Africa faced the problem of having insufficient graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“These fields are important for sustained economic growth and are therefore of strategic importance to the continent.
“As an African business, MultiChoice feels the problem is particularly worrying and our involvement in these awards represents our commitment as a company to promoting interest in science and technology in Africa,” she said.
She said that the first DStv Eutelsat Star Awards competition was a success, attracting over 800 entries from across Africa and that the 2011 winners, Mary Musimire and Michael Yeboah both visited Paris.
“We look forward to again showcasing emerging new talent in the 2012 awards,” she said.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter