The Rita Marley Foundation is now accepting submissions for its third annual Essay Competition.

The topic for this year’s competition is “Children Get Your Culture, and Don’t Stay There & Gesture Or The Battle Will Be Hotter & You Won’t Get No Supper. Wake Up & Live!”, messages from reggae legend Bob Marley in his songs Natty Dread and Wake Up & Live.

The event, open to high schools, encourages students to write riveting and interesting 1,000 word pieces.

Schools will appoint teachers to select and submit the best written essays to the Rita Marley Foundation (JA) no later than June 1, 2016.

A distinguished panel of judges comprising educators and writers, will assess entries and determine the top three winners. Their names revealed on July 1, International Reggae Day.

Dr Rita Marley, Rita Marley Foundation President, shared that she is “extremely impressed with the caliber compositions the youth pen. Each year, the number of entrants increase and quality of essays improve.”

The Foundation will reward winners with worthy prizes.

Rosemary Duncan, manager at the Rita Marley Foundation (JA) expressed that “the essay competition is one among several projects the Foundation has initiated to empower the youth and assist those less fortunate.”

She noted that each year the Rita Marley Foundation (JA) also hosts an annual public speaking competition.

“It has implemented reading skills exercises at basic schools; students letter exchange pen pal programme (Jamaica/Ghana); cultural storytelling programme; (and) training skills for vulnerable mothers at Mary’s Child Home,” she said, noting that the Foundation also hosts an annual back to school treat for inner city youth.

The Rita Marley Foundation (JA) has acquired funding from Water For Humanity for a borehole project in the remote rural Konkonuru community in Ghana, West Africa. Last year the Foundation provided a scholarship for a Jamaican student to further studies in naturopathic medicine.