Contest: In Preparation for International Literacy Day

According to the UNESCO website: “Today one in five adults is still not literate and two-thirds of them are women while 72 million children are out of school.” This is a sad sad state for the world. I blame our illiteracy for most of the world’s ills, including bad governance, overpopulation and climate change.

The basic definition of literacy is the ability to read and write. In the 21st century, however, the meaning of literacy has become broader. Its sources now stem from different things and may span various fields. Researchers are now coming up with terms such as critical literacy, functional literacy, media literacy (which I specialize in), etc.

The Philippines, in particular, has such a high literacy rate…but I sometimes question those numbers, especially since I belong to the academe and have seen how literacy has diminished. It makes me wonder if that high rate pertains to the number of people watching reality TV shows…

Because of this, Skysenshi would like to focus on this event longer. In honor of this international event, this blog will be holding a contest. The prizes are small tokens (two P500 gift certificates from SM or Fully Booked) but the thought behind these are symbolic.  The mechanics are simple:

  1. Upload a photo of you and your favorite book (fiction or non fiction) or any material you derive literacy from (it could be a DVD, a website, your teacher, etc.) at the Skysenshi’s Hermitage fan photos section.
  2. Write a short blurb (2-3 sentences) that states why you were inspired by this material.
  3. The top two entries with the most number of likes and comments win.

Contest ends on August 31, 2010 and is open to residents of the Philippines. I will ship the GCs off so you don’t need to meet up with me. I will also feature the top five on my official International Literacy Day album and blog entry (to be posted on September 8, 2010).

12 Comments

  1. papaviktor

    July 5, 2010 at 1:00 am

    can it be an art book? or does it have to be a reading type book?

  2. skysenshi

    July 5, 2010 at 1:04 am

    As long as you learned something from it and whatever it is that you learned appears on the blurb. 🙂

  3. JennyO

    July 5, 2010 at 2:10 am

    Re literacy: Iba kasi ang “functional” literacy. So be wary of government's claims about the literacy rate in Pilipinas. 🙂

  4. skysenshi

    July 6, 2010 at 2:45 pm

    LOL. I had to change the prize. I was reminded that I am employed by an SM company (even though it's a foundation), hehe.

  5. skysenshi

    July 6, 2010 at 3:51 pm

    Ok, I'll just let the winners choose which GC they prefer. SM or Fully Booked. 😀 The ones that aren't chosen will just be used for another contest. 🙂

  6. Alex

    July 9, 2010 at 5:36 am

    hi tita bea!
    i want to submit an entry, but i wont be able to go online until thursday next week. can i submit it then na lang?
    ~alex alcasid

  7. skysenshi

    July 9, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    @Alex
    If I get at least one correct submission by Monday, the contest will be kept open until the deadline. 🙂

    @Jayson
    Hm. I can't seem to upload your entire blog entries into the site (since I actually just need a photo and 2-3 sentences for the feature). Owners aren't allowed to submit photos in the fan section, methinks. Great reviews, though. I really loved reading through them! 🙂

  8. Desiree

    July 10, 2010 at 2:59 am

    Miss I like to be in the contest.

    I just read it recently, I wasn't aware of this. ♥

    DesLombos

  9. skysenshi

    July 10, 2010 at 3:42 am

    Hehe, sali ka na! 😀

  10. Desiree

    September 28, 2010 at 10:06 pm

    Miss I like to be in the contest.

    I just read it recently, I wasn't aware of this. ♥

    DesLombos

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