The aim of our Annual Essay Competition is to encourage Muslim Youths to learn more about Islam. We work to encourage youths to get familiar with Islamic publications and imbibe the culture of research and reading. We also encourage the participation of non-Muslims to help them understand the Islamic way of life as we believe that through proper knowledge and understanding of our religions, we can create a peaceful coexistence between us. The Essay Competition has been taking place every year since 2006. Alhamdulillah, year 2020 will make it 14 years of CMO Annual Youth Essay Competition.
Each year, we select a theme for the Essay Competition. Each category will have a specific topic, however all the topics will be a variation of the general theme that has been adopted in that edition.
CMO will present the competition winners with prizes at the Annual Youth Essay Competition Prize Presentation and Seminar Day. This special event is an opportunity for CMO to acknowledge the winners. It is a free event open to all (participants and non-participants). The winners will be contacted weeks before the Seminar date. The winner in each category will have the opportunity to present his/her essay at the seminar.
In 2019, CMO introduced a new award in honor of Late Sheikha Bridget Aisha Lemu and her significant contribution to Islamic education. Starting 2019, the Best Participating School will win The Aisha Lemu Trophy.
The best three entries in each category will be shortlisted. The winner of the best entry in each category will be contacted via phone and/or email some weeks before the Seminar date.
The winners or their representative must be in attendance on the day of the Seminar. This is a condition that must be fulfilled.
Please note that you will not be required to pay any money or perform any task that will require you to part with money or properties before you can be confirmed as a CMO essay competition winner.
Also note that you will be required to foot your transportation and any other incidental cost that you will incur in attending the Seminar.
To ensure that all participants are scored fairly, CMO has devised a unique process of scoring each essay eliminating marker bias.
The word counts for the categories are:
· Category A: (300 words maximum)
· Category B: (500 – 700 words)
· Category C: (800 – 1000 words)
· Category D: (1,300 – 1,500 words)
The marking criteria are:
