MRDC is once again supporting PNG’s only National Literature competition, the Crocodile Prize with a K10, 000 sponsorship.

This year, MRDC has gone a step further, apart from increasing its sponsorship amount from K5000 last year to K10, 000, the company has also taken the competition to the rural project area school communities.

MRDC’s External Affairs Manager Steven Evekone (left) handing over the K10, 000 dummy cheque to Crocodile Prize committee members Emmanuel Peni, Martyn Namarong and Gretel Matawan.

Last month, the company invited Crocodile Prize committee member, Gretel Matawan joined MRDC Public Relations officer, Iona Reto on a trip to Kikori in the Gulf Province and Semberigi in Southern highlands Province to carry out awareness of the competition in four schools in the two areas.

The pair visited Kikori Secondary School, Gobe Agriculture high School, Don Mosely and Wemi Primary schools to encourage students and teachers in those areas to participate in the competition.

Gretel Matawan was thankful for the opportunity to take the competition out to the rural areas and thanked MRDC for making it possible.

“We want to encourage students from all over Papua New Guinea, not just in the urban areas but also in the rural areas to enter in the competition. The Crocodile Prize is grateful to MRDC for creating that opportunity to help bring awareness for the students and teachers in Kikori, Gobe and Semberigi areas.”

External Affairs Manager Steven Evekone officially presented the company’s sponsorship cheque to the committee in Port Moresby upon the pairs return from the awareness program.

“We want to see more of our students and teachers from the project areas to be given the opportunity to get involved in this competition that we are sponsoring,” said Evekone.

He stressed that the resource project areas are rich in natural resource yet students are still disadvantaged many aspects of life and therefore the need to allow them to be and feel included in Opportunities such as the crocodile Prize competition and other educational initiatives can go a long way in helping them better their lives.

This year’s sponsorship of K10, 000 to the Crocodile Prize will see K5000 go towards sponsoring the ‘Women in Writing’ Award Category, which MRDC also sponsored last year and was won by Roselyn

Tony, a teacher in Rural Simbu Province, while the other K5000 will go towards assisting the committee to with associated costs of running the competition.

“If Roselyn can do it, I’m sure our teachers in the project area schools and in other parts of the country can do it. We want to encourage more women and girls to participate, and it would be a bonus if they are from our project area schools”, said Evekone.

The MRDC Women in Writing’ category is one MRDC is very proud to support as the sponsorship demonstrates the company’s commitment in supporting educational initiatives and programs in PNG especially in the development of women and girls in all facets of the society.

The company hopes to help take the competition to the rest of the resource project areas in the country next year.

The Crocodile Prize competition has eleven (11) categories in the competition; Short Story, Poetry, Illustrations, Book of the Year, Women in Writing, Essays and Journalism, Best Short Play, Heritage Writing, Writing for Children, Emerging Young Writers and the FB and NBC Radio Competition. The entry opened for all Papua New Guinean citizens on the 27th February, 2017 and close on 30th September, 2017.

Winners will be announced in October 2017.

PR officer Iona Reto and Crocodile Prizes Gretel Matawan pose for a picture with students from Don Mosley during the awareness program in Semberigi.