WORLDWIDE WRITING COMPETITION OFFERS UNIQUE FORUM
FOR JOURNALISTS AND REPORTERS

Atlanta, GA – January 19, 2004 - Journalistic reporting and other writings about public policy and related issues are being sought as entries for The Power of Purpose Awards: A Worldwide Essay Competition.

This international writing contest, intended to encourage people to think about the benefits of purpose, is being conducted entirely on the internet at www.powerofpurpose.org. Professional writers and other members of the journalism community around the world are encouraged to enter. For this contest, articles, opinion pieces, columns, etc., whether published or unpublished, may be entered as essays.

Purpose may be defined as something more important than our simple survival, something not merely intellectual, but in our souls. It is something outside of ourselves, greater than individual human beings or even groups of people. Purpose can change public policy, define our relationship with nature and the cosmos, and inspire the spark that makes ordinary people do extraordinary things.

Entrants to the contest may come from magazines, newspapers, book publishing, internet publishing, and many other fields. They should be able to explicate for the general audience how purpose is intertwined with our government, our institutions, and society itself. (TV and film writers are also encouraged to submit essays, although scripts will not be accepted.)

Topics for entries might include biographies or character studies. As many journalists agree, great leaders always seem to exude purpose. No matter what their field, whether they are politicians, doctors, or religious figures, their actions, indeed, their very beings seem to inspire others. Trying to elucidate what it is that makes certain people (Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. or your fourth-grade teacher) exemplars of a purpose-driven life can be a difficult task, but when done effectively, it can help others to find and work toward their own purpose.

Essays in this category may also focus on a particular organization—anything from a worldwide humanitarian group like Habitat for Humanity to a soup kitchen in a church basement. The goal of the essay might be to show how effective the organization has become in recruiting volunteers or in serving a specific population.

An essay could focus on public policy. Efforts to gain equal funding for faith-based initiatives or to reform the foster care system would both be good examples. A public-policy-oriented essay might include recommendations for how to insert purpose into our public dialogue. How can we teach purpose to our children and how can the elderly rediscover purpose? What can be done to spread the benefits and joys of purposeful living to others?

There is no entry fee for the contest. The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2004. All entries must be submitted on the internet, in English, and must contain 3500 words or less.

This competition is sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation.