By Shermalon KirbyActing Director, Corporate Relations Department, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank

Thursday, September 30, 2021 — The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and the Regional Security System Asset Recovery Unit (RSS-ARU) announce 2021-2022 Creative Youth Competition with a focus on poetry.

The ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition is designed to allow aged 13-19 Secondary School and Community College students, in the eight ECCB member countries, to demonstrate their creativity, critical thinking skills and talents through various genres including essay writing, poetry, song writing and art.

This year, students who wish to participate in the poetry competition will be required to produce their very own poem on one of the following topics:

1. The Entrepreneur
2. Skills Equal Money
3. My Vision for My Caribbean Home

The topics were selected in collaboration with secondary school teachers from the ECCB member countries and the RSS-ARU, co-sponsor of the competition.

The entries will be judged in two categories: ages 13 to 16 and 17 to 19, and will be assessed on: focus on the selected topics; creativity; imagery; and spelling and punctuation.

Cash prizes, tokens and trophies amounting to $26,000.00 will be awarded to the top three winners, their respective schools, and teachers who mentor the students in the preparation of their submissions.

The entries for the 2021-2022 ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition must be submitted via the submissions portal no later than 31 January 2022.  

For more information on the Creative Youth Competition, please visit the ECCB website and its Facebook page.

About the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank:

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) was established in October 1983. The ECCB is the Monetary Authority for: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

About the Regional Security System – Asset Recovery Unit:

The RSS Assets Recovery programme is an innovative approach to tackling serious organised crime in the Caribbean common law jurisdictions, through partnership and the robust application of proceeds of crime and money laundering legislation. It commenced in November 2015, taking over from the highly successful Eastern Caribbean Financial Investigations Advisory Team (ECFIAT) and Caribbean Criminal Assets Recovery Programme (CCARP). The team provides wider regional support to include key transit countries and the overseas territories of the United Kingdom.