‘Young Omani Author’ competition gathers pace as deadline approaches and support increases

Following the recent launch of the ‘Young Omani Author’ short-story writing competition, HSBC Bank Oman S.A.O.G. and the British Council have been receiving submissions from aspiring local writers who stand chances of winning exciting prizes and of becoming published authors. Teachers from schools across the Sultanate are encouraging their students to submit short stories as part of this innovative initiative, to help foster their English literature and language skills, while at the same time unleash their creativity and imagination.

Along with HSBC Bank Oman and the British Council, the competition is being supported by the Ministry of Education and Omani non-governmental organisation, Children First. Open to Omani students aged between 15 to 18 years old, the ‘Young Omani Author’ competition aims to inspire young students in schools to submit short stories that revolve around 8 competition themes including Environment, Volunteerism, Culture, Community, Individualism, Sharing, Education and Value of Money. Students can increase their chances of winning by submitting an unlimited number of stories.

“We are pleased with how the British Council brought our original idea into life resulting in this creative competition. Nurturing young talent and driving educational development are fundamental parts of HSBC Bank Oman’s DNA,” said Andrew Long, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Bank Oman. “The competition’s themes are central to our values and relevant to the world in which many of our young people find themselves in. We believe that instilling such life principles in children today will enable them to be successful individuals in the future and to contribute positively to the Sultanate’s ongoing development and prosperity.”

The Ministry of Education is a key player in this initiative, as it promotes the competition to students across the Sultanate. More details and support materials have been published on the competition’s official website, specifically a ‘Writing Tips’ section that covers topics such as character development, how to brainstorm ideas for the plot and a guide to constructing original stories. Additional links are available online to aid students’ step-by-step production of an ‘original masterpiece’.

Paul Hilder, Country Director of the British Council in Oman, said, “The very idea of producing such an imaginative challenge with HSBC, for Omani students, is quite an inspiration itself and we are delighted to be engaging local young talent in this capacity. To date, reports indicate that hundreds of applications have been downloaded, with thousands of potential applicants visiting the competition’s dedicated website and we look forward to receiving many entries as we approach the deadline of Sunday 15 March.”

More information, official entry forms, guidelines and writing tips can be found on the official competition website: www.youngomaniauthor.com. Entry forms can also be obtained from the British Council’s teaching centre in Muscat. Entries can be submitted online or delivered by hand to the British Council’s teaching centre by Sunday 15 March, with the winners to be announced in April. The winning short story will be destined for publication, in addition to the winner receiving an Apple iMac. The runner up and the third place winners will receive a MacBook Pro and an iPad Air 2 respectively.