Contest details: About the Mathieu Da Costa Challenge

• How to enter
• Registration package
• Mathieu Da Costa Parks Canada Award
• Public Choice Award
• Prizes
• Rules and criteria

Canada is one of the world’s most culturally diverse countries, comprising citizens from more than 200 ethnic backgrounds. In fact, the quality of life we enjoy today as Canadians can, in many instances, be traced to the significant contributions made by Canadians of Aboriginal, African and other backgrounds throughout our history.

The Mathieu Da Costa Challenge is an annual creative writing and artwork contest launched in 1996. The Challenge encourages youth to discover how diversity has shaped Canada’s history and the important role that pluralism plays in Canadian society.

If you’re between the ages of 9 and 18, you can participate in the Challenge. You’ll get to use your creative talents and discover how people from different backgrounds have helped make Canada what it is today.

Each year, three winners are selected from each age group (9–12, 13–15 and 16–18). The winners, accompanied by a parent/guardian, receive an all–expenses paid trip to Ottawa where they take part in an Awards Ceremony hosted by the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

More students take the Challenge every year to learn about people who have contributed to the building of Canada.

This is your chance to take the Challenge and continue the legacy of Mathieu Da Costa!

How to enter

Are you between the ages of 9 and 18?

If so, you can participate in the Mathieu Da Costa Challenge.

Three winning entries will be selected from each age group (9–12, 13–15 and 16–18) in each of the following categories:

• Original piece of writing in English;
• Original piece of writing in French; and
• Original piece of artwork.

What do you have to do?

By mail

Submit an original piece of writing or artwork celebrating the contributions to the building of Canada made by Canadians of Aboriginal, African or other ethnocultural background, along with a completed participant’s entry form to:

Don’t forget: Contest entries without a fully completed and signed entry form will not be accepted. A parent or guardian must sign the form if you have not reached the age of majority in your province or territory.

Entries submitted by mail must be postmarked by the contest deadline date of Friday, February 19, 2010.

The winners of the Mathieu Da Costa Challenge will be announced at the awards ceremony in April 2010.

Online registration

Fill out the online registration form and submit it along with your entry. Entries may be submitted in the .doc, .wpd, .txt, .pdf, .jpg, .gif, .tif or .psd file formats, and must be less than 10 MB in file size.

Registration package

Some of the documents are available to you in Portable Document Format (PDF). This is a universal file format that allows you to read, print or download an online document while maintaining the fonts, graphics and general layout of that document. To view a PDF document, you must have a PDF reader installed. If you do not already have such a reader, there are numerous PDF readers available for free download or for purchase on the Internet.

You can download the Mathieu Da Costa materials below:

• Entry Form PDF, 287 KB
• Brochure PDF, 700 KB
• Poster PDF, 467 KB

Mathieu Da Costa Parks Canada award

In addition to the Mathieu Da Costa Challenge, if you choose to submit an original piece of artwork or original piece of writing in English or French celebrating the contribution made by a National Historic Person of Aboriginal, African or other background to the building of Canada, you will be eligible for another prize — the Mathieu Da Costa Parks Canada Award. Visit the section on prizes for more information on what you can win.

National Historic Persons are those who made an outstanding and lasting contribution to Canadian History — as designated by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

For more information about the Mathieu Da Costa Parks Canada Award, visit the Parks Canada website.

Public choice award

Have your say by choosing your favourite essay or artwork for the Public Choice Award! We will post the top entries in early March 2010 on www.mathieudacosta.gc.ca. Check them out and cast your vote!

Prizes

Each winner, accompanied by a parent/guardian, will receive:

• an all–expenses paid trip to Ottawa, including transportation, meals and hotel stay;
• VIP tickets to the Mathieu Da Costa Awards Ceremony;
• a Certificate of Achievement; and
• other prizes.

In addition to the above prizes, the three winners of the Mathieu Da Costa Parks Canada Prize will win a one–year Parks Canada Family Discovery Pass to discover and explore Canada’s amazing National Parks and National Historic Sites.

Rules and criteria

Entries will be judged by a jury on the following criteria:

Original piece of creative writing

• title (text must include a title)
• good understanding of the theme
• originality, clarity of expression and creativity
• evidence of critical thinking
• must be typed or legibly written and double–spaced
• maximum of 500 words (ages 9–12)
• maximum of 800 words (ages 13–15)
• maximum of 1,000 words (ages 16–18)

Original piece of artwork

• title (artwork must include a title)
• clear presentation of the theme
• originality, creativity and visual presentation
• can be in the form of a collage
• minimum of 28 cm x 43 cm (11 x 17 inches)
• maximum of 38 cm x 50 cm (15 x 20 inches)
  • if you are between 9 and 12, you are permitted to use sizes 21.5 cm x 28 cm (8.5 x 11 inches)

Don’t forget to fill out your entry form. Entries without a fully completed and signed entry form will be disqualified.

Rules

The participant, or his/her parent/guardian (if he or she has not reached the age of majority), consents and agrees that, in consideration of being allowed to participate, the entry submitted shall become the property of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The participant, or his/her parent/guardian (if he or she has not reached the age of majority), releases all rights therein for all legal purposes to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. No submissions will be returned. No responsibility will be taken for entries that are incomplete, damaged, misdirected or delayed.

To enter and be eligible to win, a person must be under 19 years of age as of April 2010, a permanent resident or citizen of Canada who has the consent of his/her parent/guardian (if he or she has not reached the age of majority) and who is not an employee of, a member of the immediate family of, or domiciled with an employee of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, their partners associated with this contest, and their advertising and promotional agencies.

This contest is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws. Prizes are subject to change without notification and must be accepted as awarded. No substitutions will be made, transfer permitted or refunds allowed, cash or otherwise. All entrants shall submit a signed Statement of Release of Liability and Publicity and Release of moral rights attaching to the work(s) which is part of this entry form, with their original piece of writing or artwork entry, to be signed by their parent/guardian if they have not reached the age of majority, before receiving their prize.

By entering, contestants agree to abide by the contest rules and the decisions of the contest organizers, which are final, and to the use of their name and photograph for publicity purposes by Citizenship and Immigration Canada without further compensation. Any personal information collected for the purposes of the competition will only be used or disclosed in accordance with the Privacy Act of Canada by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and/or its contracted agencies. In providing such information, participants or their parent/guardian do consent to the use of such information as indicated. The parent/guardian will become responsible for all aspects of awarding of prizes if the winner has not reached the age of majority. The odds of being selected will depend on the total number of eligible entries received.