ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition – Songwriting

The ECCB collaborated with the Regional Security System Asset Recovery Unit (RSS-ARU) to launch the Creative Youth Competition (CYC) in September 2018.

Prize winners will be notified by 30 April 2024. The winning songs will be published on the ECCB website and social media platforms.

Topics

• Food Security for the Caribbean
• My Vision for the Eastern Caribbean Dollar
• Mental Health of Teens and Young Adults

Prize Information

• Prizes will be awarded as follows:
  • 1st
    • Student: $3,000.00
    • School: $2,000.00
    • Mentor Teacher: $700.00
  • 2nd
    • Student: $2,500.00
    • School: $1,500.00
    • Mentor Teacher: $500.00
  • 3rd
    • Student: $1,500.00
    • School: $1,000.00
    • Mentor Teacher: $300.00

Eligibility Criteria

• The competition is open to Secondary School and Community College students who reside in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union1. The students must be 13 to 19 years old at the time of entering the competition.
• Entries must include:
  • Lyric sheet of your song;
  • Video recording of your song (no more than 5 minutes long);
  • Portrait photo/headshot of participant;
  • ECCB/RSS-ARU Creative Youth Competition Cover Sheet, which is part of the entry process via the electronic portal. It must be completed in its entirety.
• Each participant can submit only one entry on any music genre. All entries will be considered anonymously by the judges.
• Participants may choose to have a third party perform the song on their behalf.
• Participants may choose to work as a group of no more than three (3) members.
• Video files can be uploaded to the public video platform of your choice (i.e. YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) and the link must be provided on your lyric sheet.
• Under no circumstances can alterations be made to songs once entered.
• Telephone confirmation of receipt will not be available. The ECCB staffs are unable to confirm the content of documents submitted online, so please ensure you upload the correct version to the portal.
• Children or wards of ECCB employees are not eligible to enter the competition.

Songs

• All entries are judged anonymously and the student’s name or group members’ names must not appear on the document containing the lyrics or in the video. The name(s) should only be on the entry form.
• All songs must have a title and must not exceed two verses in length. If a bridge forms part of the song, it will not be considered as a verse neither does the chorus.
• Entries must be on one of the three topics. Participants may choose to state the title of their songs in a more creative way; however, the selected topic must be entered on the entry form.
• Songs must be the participant’s original work. Plagiarised work will be disqualified.

For more information, visit ECCB.