Preface:

Light Millennium ("LM") is proud to launch its new "RUMI & CLARKE Inspirational Writing Awards Project" as an OPEN CALL TO ALL globally in conjunction with educational institutions and after school programs at local levels.

This unique project coincides with the 800th Birthday of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (1207 - 1273), which will be celebrated internationally by UNESCO in 2007, and legendary living author and scientist Arthur C. Clarke's 90th Birthday (December 16, 2007).

"Awards" part of the program solely aims to encourage and involve students actively in inspirational writing process based on RUMI & CLARKE's visions with a hope that RUMI & CLARKE's visions will help connect students at both local and global levels with Eastern and Western philosophies and will greatly serve removing prejudice from both parts towards one another as well as from students' minds.

For this very reason, this project has both local and global purpose and perspective. For the local part of the project, we are seeking to collaborate with schools/educational institutions at levels from elementary and after school programs (from elementary to high schools) to college and universities.

Objective:

The Light Millennium is honored and excited to present an annual Writing Awards Project which will build a bridge between the 13th Century Middle Eastern philosopher and poet Mevlana Celaleddin RUMI, and a Western visionary, pioneer scientist and legendary author Sir Arthur C. CLARKE, who has marked the 20th and 21st centuries with his visions. This project aims to encourage children and youth, from elementary school to the university levels, to generate positive ideas with regard to connecting the East & West. Through a writing contest based upon RUMI's & CLARKE's visions in literature, arts, science, and the future, LM endeavors to foster a bridge between EAST & WEST, which will promote mutual understanding, as well as cultural exchange and enrichment among the young generation.  With the "Awards" part of the project, we encourage young people from all ways of life to be part of this project, in a celebration of these "Two Universal Men"s Visions.
<http://www.lightmillennium.org/2006_17th/rumi_clarke.html>

For the first year (2007), we aim to collaborate with at least one elementary, one middle, and one high school, as well as one college or university.  However, the project will be open to ALL globally via On-Line submissions and to all students from elementary to university level.

We would be interested in collaborating with your educational institution for procuring writing submissions from your students.


Time frame of the project:

-Fall 2006 Issue of the Light Millennium> Launching it via Internet and promoting it on the organization's Web site

-Deadlines for e-publications of the submissions (all submissions will be posted to the Light Millennium's Web site or on a newly dedicated Web site for this project, and selection will be made based on all submissions within each school category.) Tentatively closing date for participations/open submissions is October 23, 2007:

Submissions will be posted into below issues according to submitted dates:

For the LM's 7th Anniversary Issue:
- Deadline: March 15, 2008


For the Fall-08 Issue:
- Deadline: October 15, 2008


Anticipated Events:

We aim to organize 2 events based on this project and all related submissions:
1) In collaboration with the Department of Public Information at the United Nations - In December 2008 or Spring 2009.

2) An Awards Ceremony during the first week of December 2008 or Spring 2009.