2006 EuromedCafe competition: Other songs

Inspired by peace and intercultural dialogue, this song contest is open to authors from countries of the European Union and from the Southern Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. An international jury will select a maximum of 10 songs which will be awarded with prizes that range from 600 to 1,500 euros.

The competition is organised by Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo (FLM) with the support of the European Commission (External Relations Directorate General).

Deadline for submission of applications: 15 October 2006.

II° International Contest “OTHER SONGS” on the theme of Intercultural Dialogue

RULES 2006

1. OBJECTIVE

“OTHER SONGS” is a song contest inspired by peace and intercultural dialogue organised by Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo (FLM) with the support of the European Commission (Direction General External Relations). The objective of the contest is to favour mutual knowledge and understanding between the peoples of the two rivers of the Mediterranean through music, instrument of dialogue and knowledge.

Will be admitted to the contest authors from countries of the European Union and from countries of the Southern river of the Mediterranean: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

The FLM will select maximum 10 songs. The Prizes will be:
- First Prize: 1.500 euros
- Second Prize: 1.000 euros
- From 3rd to the 7th: 600 euros

Selected songs will be diffused on the Internet on www.euromedcafe.org as from January 2007.

Particular attention will be given to those works that:

- Underline the importance of dialogue and tolerance in the relations among peoples and cultures;
- Give a new look, original and innovative about themes such as integration, immigration, menaces of conflict;
- Enhance the knowledge and understanding of other cultures as a way to fight against prejudices, clichés, stereotypes, sources of conflicts and misunderstandings;
- Deal about collective imaginaries and mutual representations;
- Underline the diversity and richness of peoples of both sides of the Mediterranean;
- Attach importance to the right to difference.

2. RULES OF THE CONTEST

Eligible authors. The authors must be from the European Union or from Mediterranean countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

Prize An international jury will award the Prizes to maximum 10 songs. Selected songs will be accessible on the site www.euromedcafe.org.

Admitted genres: Songs will be free of rights for Internet diffusion.

Non admitted genres: publicity, games and works which have pornographic texts or that offends Persons, Public Institutions or States.

Duration: The duration of the songs must be comprised between 2 and 5 minutes.

Formats: The songs must be sent in MP3 format (128 kbps or more) by filling the on line form. The participant will be able to insert their personal data a brief bio and attach the song in MP3 format.

Languages: the texts of the songs can be written in any language spoken in the European Union or in the Mediterranean Bassin (Arabic, Berbere, Turkish or Hebrew). Participants must enclose the translation of the texts in one of the following languages: Arabic, English, French or Italian.

Registration and dates: registration fees are not required. Registration is limited to 4 songs by author. Works must be sent together with the registration form.

The work must be accompanied by:
- The registration form duly completed;
- The text of the song in Arab, English, French or Italian.

All submissions must be sent no later than: 15 OCTOBER 2006. Works to be received after the date will not be accepted.

3. JURY

The President of the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo will appoint an international jury to be integrated by composers. This jury will assess the songs.

The Direction of the contest will decide about the eligibility of the works which may accede (respect of the theme and the formats). Selection criteria have been announced under title 1 of the present regulation.

4. AUTHORISATION

The winners of the contest engage themselves to authorise the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo to host and diffuse the songs, its text and a photograph of the author freely on the site www.euromedcafe.org.

5. SELECTION AND JURISDICTION

The participation in the contest “OTHER SONGS” implies the acceptance without reservation of the terms of the present regulations. Should there be any interpretation problem from the present regulation, the Italian version will be considered final. Any issue relative to the observance or interpretation of the present regulation of these provisions will be decided by the Courts of Naples, domicile of the promoter.

Organisers will ask authors whose works have been retained to send a picture in *.j.peg or *.tif , 300 dpi to be inserted in the site.

6. GENERAL DISPOSITIONS

Independent form the original format songs will be diffused on the Internet on the site www.euromedcafe.org.

Any eventual expedition costs will be on the chare of the expeditor.

All songs with racist, pornographic or defamatory content will be systematically refused. Authors who submit a work declare that they own the rights to be diffused on the Internet. By participating to the contest, the author guarantees for the Fondazione Laboratorio Mediterraneo and takes away the latest from any responsibility, ensuring that the diffusion of the song on the site www.euromedcafe.org will not prejudice third rights.

The direction of the contest “OTHER SONGS” may take decisions relative to issues not foreseen in the present regulation.

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Colin and Ailsa Turbayne International Berkeley Essay Prize Competition

2004 Winner

The winning essay in the Colin and Ailsa Turbayne International Berkeley Essay Prize Competition for 2004 is “Leibniz and Berkeley on Phenomenalism and Teleology”, by Laurence Carlin, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Professor Colin Turbayne

Some years before their deaths, Professor and Mrs. Colin Turbayne established an International Berkeley Essay Prize competition in cooperation with the Philosophy Department at the University of Rochester. A highly popular teacher of philosophy, the late Professor Turbayne is often described by former students as a "consummate teacher" who made a lasting impression on them. He was also one of the most prolific and influential scholars of George Berkeley, the 18th Century Irish philosopher. He is perhaps best known as the author of the classic treatise, The Myth of Metaphor, first published by Yale University Press in 1962, followed by later editions and now available online at www.themythofmetaphor.info/colinmurrayturbayne.htm. An original and highly imaginative criticism of the Newtonian view of the universe as a machine, in it he suggests that the modern mind has been victimized by a powerful metaphor that has been taken literally, and that alternative models of explanation, notably the language model, can serve as beneficial approaches to an understanding of the world, knowledge and science. He published his last work, Metaphors for the Mind: The Creative Mind and Its Origins in 1990, in which he shows how modern theories of human thought and language arose from historical traditions of philosophy. Professor Turbayne's devotion to advancing understanding of Berkeley is reflected in the numerous articles he authored, his producing six major editions of Berkeley's works, and the creation and funding of the International Berkeley Essay Prize.

The Competition

The next deadline for submitting papers is November 1, 2006. For the 2006 competition, submitted papers should address some aspect of Berkeley’s philosophy. Essays should be new and unpublished and should be written in English and not exceed 5,000 words in length. All references to Berkeley should be to Luce/Jessop, and a MLA or similar standard for notes should be followed. Submissions are blind reviewed and will be judged by members of a review board selected by the Department of Philosophy at the University of Rochester. The winner will be announced March 1, 2007 and will receive a prize of $2,000. Copies of the winning essays are to be sent to the George Berkeley Library Study Center located in Berkeley's home in Whitehall, Newport, RI.

Submissions must be on paper (no electronic submission) and should be sent to:

Chair, Department of Philosophy
University of Rochester
P.O. Box 270078
Lattimore 532
Rochester, NY 14627-0078

Past Berkeley Prize Winners

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Essay Competition on Islamic Finance 2006

Essay Competition on Islamic Finance 2006

For the past few decades, the Islamic banking and finance industry has grown significantly in the global market. In the believe that R & D in Islamic Finance are vital to be further developed, KLIIFEX 2006 proudly organise this essay competition to encourage in-depth research competitively. We encourage everyone to participate in this essay competition by writing to us a well-grounded essay on Islamic banking and finance topics. The winning essays receive awards totaling to USD4,500.00. We will begin accepting essays starting from September 1, 2006. Topic for the essay competition should be focused mainly on the following areas : :: Islamic Financial Products :: Takaful and Retakaful :: Islamic Unit Trusts :: Sukuk and Islamic Asset-Backed Securities :: Islamic Derivatives :: Islamic REITs :: Islamic Structured Financial Products :: Legal and Regulatory Issues in Islamic Finance :: Shariah Audit and Governance :: Islamic Accounting and Auditing :: Basel II :: Risk Management Entry Format An English or Malay language essay of 4,000 to 8,000 words Submission deadline 26 October 2006 Prizes 1st prize : USD 1,500 2nd prize : USD 1,000 3rd prize : USD 750 5 consolation prizes : USD 200 Download Entry Form (pdf/291kb)

*Inviting and subject to further confirmation

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FIRST STEP TO NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS 2007

Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw -- Poland), announces

The Fifteenth International Competition

FIRST STEP TO NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS

This is an International Competition in Physics Research Projects for High School (Lyceum) Students. The competition targets high school (lyceum) students who are interested in physics and are willing to perform their own research works in physics. At times, their results are very interesting and valuable. The Institute of Physics (in the Polish Academy of Sciences) organises the fifteenth competition in the 2006/2007 academic year, and invites the participation of students based on the rules given below. The title of the competition expresses dreams of all the physicists, especially of young physicists. We, however, feel necessary to underline that the FIRST STEP is a quite independent competition, without any links to any Nobel institution.


GENERAL RULES:

1. All the high school (lyceum) students regardless of the country, type of the school etc. are eligible for the competition. The only conditions are that the school cannot be considered as a university college and the age of the participant should not exceed 20 years on March 31, 2007.

2. There are no restrictions concerning the subject matter of the papers, their level, methods applied etc. All these are left to the participants' choice. The papers, however, have to have a research character and deal with physics topics or topics directly related to physics.

3. Every participant can submit one or more papers but each paper should have only one author. The total volume (i.e. text + figures + captions + tables + references) of each paper should not exceed 25 normal typed pages (about 50,000 characters).

4. The papers will be refereed by the Organising Committee and the best will be awarded. The number of awarded papers is not limited. All the awards will be considered equivalent. The Authors of the awarded papers will be invited to the Institute of Physics (or to institutions co-operating with the Institute of Physics) for one month's research stay (the stays are scheduled for November 2007). The necessary stay expenses (without expenses for travel) will be paid by the organisers. Unfortunately, the travel expenses to and from Poland cannot be paid by the organisers and the winners will have to find some sponsors.

5. In addition to the regular awards the Organising Committee may establish a number of honourable mentions. The participants who won the honourable mention receive diplomas, but they are not invited to the research stay.

6. The participants should send their papers in two copies in English only by March 31, 2007 to:

Mrs. Maria Ewa Gorzkowska, M. A.
Secretary of the FIRST STEP
Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
al. Lotników 32/46, (PL) 02-668 Warszawa

The Organizing Committee does not accept papers sent by e-mail.

7. Each paper should be attached with the filled Participation Form (empty form is available from our home page:www.ifpan.edu.pl/firststep).

8. IMPORTANT: The papers that do not conform to the above mentioned formal conditions are not evaluated. In particular that refers to the following papers:

* written in language different than English or written by hand,
* received after the deadline (the participants should have sent the papers out to the organisers early enough),
* submitted without the Participation Form,
* in which physics does not play a basic role,
* which do not have a research character (descriptive papers, essays, papers without any own results received by the Authors etc. are rejected in the first pass of evaluation)
* submitted by e-mail.

We hope that our competition will provide the pupils with an opportunity to compare their own achievements with the achievements of their colleagues from other countries. Also we hope that the stay of young scientists in our Institute will result in friendly relationship among them, what seems especially valuable for the future. On behalf of the Organising Committee:

On behalf of the Organising Committee:

Prof. Yohanes Surya
(Jakarta, Indonesia)
Vice-President of the Organising Committee Dr. Waldemar Gorzkowski
(Warsaw, Poland)
President of the Organising Committee



Additional information on the competition and on the proceedings of the past competitions can be obtained from Dr. Waldemar Gorzkowski - phone: (48)22-8435212; fax: (48)22-8430926; e-mail: gorzk@ifpan.edu.pl or from Prof. Dr. Yohanes Surya -- e-mail: yohaness@centrin.net.id or from any of the following Members of the International Advisory Committee (IAC):

Mr. Can ALTINELLER altineller@gmail.com (also Turkish)
Mrs. Tildash BITUOVA daryn_alm@nursat.kz (also Kazakh)
Prof. Dr. Hiroshi EZAWA hiroshi.ezawa@gakushuin.ac.jp (also Japanese)
Dr. Zbigniew GORTEL gortel@phys.ualberta.ca
Prof. Dr. Ibrahim GUNAL gunal@metu.edu.tr (also Turkish)
Dr. Avi I. HAUSER avihauser@yahoo.com
Prof. Dr. Si-zhao JIN jinsz@ustc.edu.cn (also Chinese)
Dr. Hans JORDENS h.jordens@phys.rug.nl (also Dutch)
Dr. Andrzej KOTLICKI kotlicki@physics.ubc.ca
Prof. Dr. Stanislav KOZEL sob@scph.mipt.ru (also Russian)
Dr. Juan LEON leon@imaff.cfmac.csic.es (also Spanish)
Prof. Dr. Ming-Juey LIN mjlin@phy.ntnu.edu.tw (also Chinese)
Prof. Dr. Leonid MARKOVICH markovich@bsu.by (also Belorussian)
Prof. Helmuth MAYR helmuthmayr@hotmail.com (also German)
Mr. Markus MUELLER markusm@physics.rutgers.edu (also German and French)
Prof. Dr. Shigetoshi NARA nara@elec.okayama-u.ac.jp (also Japanese)
Dr. Dwight E. NEUENSCHWANDER dneuensc@snu.edu
Dr. Ammar SAREM samers@scs-net.org (also Arabic)
Prof. Dr. Viktor URUMOV urumov@iunona.pmf.ukim.edu.mk (also Macedonian)
Mr. Srdan VERBIC verbic@octopus.phy.bg.ac.yu (also Serbian)
Prof. Dr. Paolo VIOLINO p.violino@tiscalinet.it (also Italian)
Prof. Dr. Ivo VOLF ivo.volf@uhk.cz (also Czech)
Prof. Dr. Arthur K. WEST AWest@shoreline.edu
Mr. Zhang Zhong-da zhongda_zhang@yahoo.com.cn (also Chinese)

The competition papers MUST be written in English, but to get an information about the competition the participants may contact the Members of the IAC also in other languages as shown in parentheses. Please remember that the Members of the IAC are not supervisors and they do not help in any concrete participants' research.

Complete information on the First Step can be found on our home page http://www.ifpan.edu.pl/firststep

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INTERNATIONAL İSTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL

INTERNATIONAL İSTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION REGULATION
deadline for application is 31 December 2006
1. Dates
The 26th International İstanbul Film Festival, organised by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, and recognised as a specialised competitive event by FIAPF, will take place 31 March - 15 April 2007.

2. Aim
The aim of the Festival is to encourage the development of cinema in Turkey and to promote films of quality in the Turkish market.

3. Program
The program of the 26th International İstanbul Film Festival consists of the following sections:
a) An international competition open only to feature, documentary, or animated films on arts (literature, theatre, music, dance, cinema, plastic arts) and literary adaptations;
b) Non-competitive, informative sections on the specialised themes of the Festival. Features, documentaries and shorts can be selected for these sections.
c) Tributes;
d) Special sections;
e) Turkish Cinema 2006 – 2007

4. International Competition
a) Feature, documentary, or animated films (on arts, or literary adaptations) in 35 mm with optical soundtrack and a minimum length of 1,600 m. can be selected for the competition.
b) The final decision for selection and scheduling will be taken by the Directorate of the Festival. Producers, directors, distributors, film institutes and embassies may propose titles.
c) All films in the competition will be screened at the Festival in their original version, whenever possible with English, French or Turkish subtitles.
d) Films will not be considered if:
– released before 1 January 2005,
– already released in Turkey, excluding the Turkish entries.
e) The screening schedule is decided upon by the Directorate of the Festival.
f) Films in the competition will be judged by an international jury composed of directors, writers, producers, actors, critics, cinema-historians and others known for their involvement in cinema.
g) The jury presents:
–The "Golden Tulip Award", as the Grand Prize of the International İstanbul Film Festival, to the director of the selected film.
The Grand Prize may not be shared.
The jury may also give:
–A "Special Prize of the Jury", for a specific contribution (by a director, writer, player, director of photography, composer, etc.)
h) The directors of films admitted to the competition will be guests of the Festival for 4 days.

5. Participation
Films can also be selected for a non-competitive section of the Festival. Producers, directors, distributors, film institutes and embassies may propose titles. (The deadline for application is 31 December 2006)
In order to apply for the consideration of the Festival, interested parties should send a full-length VHS preview video-cassette or DVD (PAL or NTSC) of the film accompanied with relevant printed material. These tapes and documents will not be returned.

6. Insurance
The Festival is responsible for the insurance of the prints selected, from the moment they are received by the Festival to the moment they are collected by the forwarding agent.
Should a print be lost or damaged, the Festival's responsibility could be engaged only to the extent of the value indicated by the producer on the entry form. If the entrant does not send the entry form to the secretariat of the Festival until 1 February 2007, the print will be valued by the insurance company on 2.500.- US Dollars.

7. Transport
a) Film prints to be screened in the Festival must arrive in İstanbul for checking, translation and press screenings by 2 March 2007.
b) Shipment costs of the prints for both ways will be paid by the Festival only if the prints are sent from and returned to their sources.
c) In case the print is shared with another festival, the İstanbul Film Festival will pay for the return transportation charges only. The films must be sent prepaid by the other festival. No collect shipments are accepted unless authorized by the İstanbul Film Festival. Storage, customs, insurance and handling charges in Turkey will be covered by the İstanbul Film Festival.
d) Films will be returned within two weeks after the closing of the Festival. The consignee will be notified of the shipping details. The Festival is not responsible for storage fees at the airport.
e) Prints and air waybills should be sent directly to the Festival's address below:
İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts
International İstanbul Film Festival
İstiklal Cad. 146
Beyoglu 34435 İstanbul - TURKEY
Phone: +90 (212) 334 07 24
Fax: +90 (212) 334 07 02
E: film.fest@iksv.org
f) The return address of the sender should be marked on each film. The entrant should send a notice of dispatch by airmail, e-mail or fax to the secretariat of the Festival indicating the title, date and way of shipment.

8. Rights
Films not meeting the technical requirements for public screening may be disqualified.
Participation in the 26th International İstanbul Film Festival implies the acceptance of these regulations.
All issues not covered by these general regulations will be resolved by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts in accordance with the international regulations of FIAPF for film festivals.

Visit here for further info.

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2007 ISA Sign Design Competition

2007 ISA Sign Design Competition

Deadline: December 3, 2006

ISA announces its annual contest, which calls upon current and future sign design professionals to submit their unique designs. Cash prizes will be awarded and winners will be recognized at Expo 2007 in Las Vegas!

Prizes:

Professional Competition Junior Competition
First Place Winner - $2,000
Second Place Winner - $1,000
Third Place Winner - $500 First Place Winner* - $500
Second Place Winner - $300
Third Place Winner - $100

*The first place winner will also receive free airfare and one night's lodging in Las Vegas for the awards presentation at Expo 2007.

To enter:

2007 Sign Design Competition Entry Form - Download entry form to read complete rules, regulations, and submit your design to enter by December 3, 2006.

Assignment:

* Create a signage package for JW Gourmet Foods, a national grocery store chain.

Instructions:

* Design a logo and signage for the building.
* Design a logo and a pylon sign.
* Identify materials and fabrication details (include with your specification).

Building:

Download digital photograph of JW Gourmet Foods. Use the digital photographs and key measurements to create your design. You may enhance the building, but you cannot change the basic design.

Pylon Sign:

* Double face: can be internally illuminated or lit with exposed neon or LED.
* Maximum area: 180 square feet (one side).
* Maximum height: 25 feet from the grade to the top of the sign.

Building Sign:

* Design a main identification sign.
* Design building signage.

Electronic Message Centers:

Electronic message centers may be used on the pylon sign, or building sign, but the square footage must be considered in the total sign area allowed.

Eligibility:

Companies represented by the panel of judges are not eligible to participate. Entrants may illustrate, computer-generate, or combine these two skills to create their entries.

Rules and Regulations:

Display design on the overall board with dimensions of 22 inches by 28 inches. Any other size received will be disqualified.

Include company name and designer on the back of the board on a removable label placed in the upper, right-hand corner. Do not sign or incorporate the designer’s name, company name, current phone number, or address in the artwork.

Design should be shipped in cardboard boxes for protection during shipping. Please do not use wood crates that require nails or screws to close.

Failure to follow these rules may result in disqualification. All entries become the property of ISA, unless return postage is included with payment. ISA will treat all entries with care, but does not assume responsibility for loss or damage.

Judging:

A panel of judges will evaluate the entries using a 10-point scale for a total of fifty points. The criteria will be based on the following:

*
* Innovative use of materials and technology Distinctive identity
* Practicality of the design with regard to construction and limited service maintenance
* Professional quality and appearance
* Creativity of the design
Visit official site.

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International Underwater Photo & Video Competition — Over $35,000 in Prizes

The 2nd Annual Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com International Photo & Video Competition
... in association with Our World-Underwater

Over $35,000 in Prizes!

Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com have teamed up again in association with Our World Underwater to celebrate the beauty and delicacy of the marine environment with the 2nd annual international underwater photography and video competition.

Photographers will compete in six still image categories plus one video category, to win more than $35,000 in prizes, including premium dive travel, underwater photography equipment, and more! Dive packages include trips to some of the top photo destinations in the world: South Africa, Socoros Islands, Raja Empat, Komodo, Grand Cayman, the Galapagos Islands, Bora Bora, the Solomon Islands, Manado, Lembeh Strait, Yap, Cocos (Keeling) Island and the Bahamas! Other prizes include camera housings, strobes, lighting systems, and other valuable items.

The competition includes a category for images that focus on conservation and the marine environment, and one specifically for entries taken by compact digital cameras.

Our panel of celebrity judges will select winners after the 11:59PM (Pacific Time), Jan 7, 2007 deadline. Winners will be announced on stage at the 2007 Our World-Underwater film festival in Chicago, Illinois (February 9-11, 2007), and will be published by our supporting media partners worldwide.

15% of entry proceeds will be donated to marine conservation efforts.
Detail information visit here.

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