Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) National Essay Competition 2017 – The Nigerian Medical Association, in pursuance of academic excellence and best practices, will be organising her maiden National Medical Essay for all bonafide NMA members.
a)Introduction
The NMA 2017 Essay Competition is designed to address burning issues affecting health policies and health care delivery in Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The feature topics are:
- Health care delivery in the face of economic recession
- The role of the medical profession in socio-political nation building
b) Scope
The Committee welcomes any write up on the above topics that advances /illuminates medical science or practice involving all aspect of medicine/health care delivery and extending to its sociopolitical relevance. The write-up may be inform of long essays, short communications, commentaries and viewpoints.
c) Eligibility
The contest is open to all licensed medical doctors (Consultants, Residents, Medical Officers and House Officers; Doctors in both public and private sector), who are legal residents of Federal Republic of Nigeria are up to date with Medical and Dental Council of Nigerian (MDCN) registration and NMA dues.
All non-doctors, non-registered doctors and freelancers with their immediate families (spouse and parents, children, siblings and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and those persons living in same households whether or not related to our sponsors, promotional and advertising agencies, and committee members are ineligible to enter or win the competition.
By participating, entrants agree to be bound by the official rules and the decisions of the judges and/or the committee, which are binding and final on matters relating to this competition.
The competition is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.
d) How to enter
The NMA National Essay Competition 2017 opens on August 1, 2017 at 0:01 GMT and closes on October 15, 2017 at 23:59 GMT. Submissions are therefore invited on any one (1) of the above topics between August 1 and October 15, 2017. Essay should be typewritten in British English language, font 12 Arial Narrow, with double line spacing on each page, on white paper background with 2cm margins. Word count should be between 1,200 to 1,500 words, with 10 to 20 references and less than 5 tables/illustrations if necessary. Referencing type is Vancouver.
Entries should be submitted on or before 23:59 GMT on 15th October 2017 via electronic mail to [email protected]. Entry submission will also include your full name, contact email address, mailing address, business address, affiliate body, telephone number, MDCN number, and evidence of up to date MDCN registration. Only one (1) entry per person will be acknowledged. Entries received in excess of the stated limitation will be void. All Entries become the sole property of the Committee and will not be returned.
Entry must (i) be your own original work, (ii) be in English, (iii) have not been previously published or submitted in connection with any other contest, (iv) be in keeping with the NMA or Sponsors image and (v) not be offensive or inappropriate, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, nor can it defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person’s personal or property rights or any other third party rights (including, without limitation, copyright). Without limiting the foregoing, Entries must not contain any confidential or personally-identifying patient information.
Committee reserves the right to disqualify any Entry that it determines, in its sole discretion, does not comply with the above requirements or that is otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules.
e) Judging
All eligible Entries received will be judged by a panel of qualified judges based equally on the following criteria: practicality of solutions offered, clarity and quality of writing, and level of detail to enable other doctors to apply your solution to their practices and also to implement the socio-political solutions offered.
The three (3) Entries with the highest scores, as determined by the committee in its sole discretion, will be deemed the first, second, and third place potential winners. In the event of a tie, an additional, “tie-breaking” judge will determine the winner(s) based on the criteria listed herein.
Committee reserves the right not to award all prizes if, in its sole discretion, it does not receive a sufficient number of eligible and qualified Entries. Prize awards are subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Judges’ and Committee’s decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to this Competition.
f) Winner Notification:
Potential winners will be notified by telephone and email on or about January 31, 2018 and may be required to complete an Affidavit of Eligibility, Liability and Publicity Release (unless prohibited by law), which must be returned within a time period specified by the committee.
g) Licence/use of entries:
By submitting an Entry, each entrant agrees that Committee shall have the worldwide perpetual right to exploit, edit, modify, and distribute such Entry, and all elements of such Entry, including entrant’s name and likeness, in any and all media now known or not currently known, and for any legal reason, without compensation, permission or notification to entrant.
h) Prizes:*
One (1) First prize of N200, 000 naira the (First Prize)
One (1) Second prize of a N150, 000 (Second Prize), and
one (1) Third Prize of a N100,000 (Third Prize). First Prize, Second Prize and Third Prize winners shall also receive publication of their respective entry essays in a future edition of NMA Publications. Prizes will be presented during the 2018 NMA ADM.
All prize details, including publication decisions, are at Committee’s sole discretion. Committee may substitute a prize of comparable or greater value at Committee’s sole discretion. Prizes are non-transferable with no substitutions.
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GENERAL:
By participating, each entrant agrees: (a) to abide by these rules and decisions of Sponsor and Judges, which shall be final in all respects relating to this Contest; (b) to release, discharge and hold harmless Committee, Supporter, their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, and all of the officers, directors, shareholders, employees, agents and representatives of the forgoing (collectively, “Released Parties”) from any and all injuries, liability, losses and damages of any kind to persons or property resulting, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from entrant’s participation in the Competition or any Competition-related activity, or the acceptance, possession, use or misuse of the awarded prize or the use by Released Parties’ of any rights granted herein.
Persons who tamper with or abuse any aspect of the Competition, who act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner or who are in violation of these Official Rules, as solely determined by Committee, will be disqualified and all associated Entries will be void. Should any portion of the Contest be, in Committee’s sole opinion, compromised by non-authorized human intervention or other causes which, in the sole opinion of the Committee, corrupt or impair the administration, security, fairness or proper play, or submission of Entries, Committee reserves the right at its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Contest and, if terminated, at its discretion, select the potential winners from all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to action taken using the judging procedure outlined above.
For further details please contact your zonal coordinators as follows:
Dr Ojo Abayomi Kolawole – SW Coordinator – 08034360925
Dr Stanley Nnoli – SS Coordinator – 08033953993
Dr Izunwa Osita Edmund – SE Coordinator – 08033507887
Dr Saheed B Nasir – NW Coordinator – 08028196054
Dr Jimmy Idama – NC Coordinator – 08038057330
Dr Adiel Adamu Apagu – NE Coordinator – 08066828347
Dr Yetunde Oludare – Lagos Coordinator – 08035778713
Dr William Nwekpa – NiMSA Liason Officer –08036863993