laws of life essay bahamas

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Announcing the Winners of Laws of Life 2024 Essay Competition

The Laws of Life Essay and Video Competition reached its culmination with a grand awards ceremony honouring the exceptional young minds of our country who have endeavoured to demonstrate their understanding and application of the Laws of Life.  The event, held on Thursday 6 th  June at the BahaMar Convention Center was a resounding success, celebrating the remarkable achievements of the competition’s participants.

An esteemed joint venture initiative between the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Ministry of Education & Technical & Vocational Training, the Laws of Life Essay and Video Competition is in its 16 th  year since its rebirth in 2009. It aims to encourage students through their writing and video production, to reflect upon and articulate how the Laws of Life shape their lives, guide their decisions, and engender personal growth and positive contributions to society.

The 2024 competition was launched in November 2023, closing in early May of this year. The event organizers, inclusive of the Learning Resources Section of the Department of Education and the Laws of Life Planning Committee, continue to boast of the event’s status as the largest competition of its kind in The Bahamas.  With approximately 1,700 entries obtained from students in grades 5-12, as well as students enrolled in local tertiary institutions, the distinguished markers and panel of judges faced the difficult task of selecting the winners among an array of exceptional entries.  

Sir John Templeton believed that each human being “has an excellent opportunity to leave the world a better place than we found it through our choice of how we live our lives.”  Thoughts on self-care and reflection on life’s real meaning are taught through many of the laws of life. Life can sometimes get difficult or overwhelming. During these occasions, we may find it necessary to take some time out for ourselves and focus inward. Focusing on our own emotional and physical well-being is not only healing for us, but also helps us to help others. The students who entered from across the islands of The Bahamas, applied their writing and video production skills to convey their ideas on the importance of emotional well-being and their approach to life.

All participants selected one of the suggested laws of life for their division, explained its meaning, and offered personal insights, experiences and real-world examples of the law being applied.  Some of the laws selected by the students were: “Healthy minds tend to cause healthy bodies, and vice versa”, “You get back what you give out”, “Beautiful thoughts build a beautiful soul”, and “What we focus on expands”. 

Since a digital format to the competition was introduced in 2021 to increase the efficiency of the competition, students easily accessed the platform to register and submit their essays and videos.  Anonymous evaluations were also carried out via the digital platform.  Continuing its digital trend, this year’s ceremony was also streamed live on the competition’s social media platforms.  

During the awards ceremony, Ms. Tina Cambridge, President of the Templeton World Charity Foundation, congratulated the students on their participation and outstanding contributions. She remarked that, “In a world where mental health is increasingly recognized as vital to our overall well-being, your thoughtful reflections and innovative ideas highlight the significance of self-care and mental health awareness. Your ability to articulate these concepts with clarity and passion is commendable and speaks volumes about your dedication to fostering a healthier, more compassionate society.” 

The coveted top awards for all the divisions were presented to eighty-eight students from public and private schools, as well as from local tertiary institutions.  A lofty scholarship of $1,000 was given to the winners of the Primary, Junior, and Senior categories.  The schools of each of these divisional winners also received a $1,000 prize.  

The Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Ministry of Education & Technical & Vocational Training are adamant about fostering the personal and intellectual growth of our youth and are therefore committed to playing a pivotal role in providing this empowering platform for our young minds to shine.  As the Laws of Life Planning Committee continues to create further opportunities for students and the public to interact with the laws of life, the public is invited to connect and engage with them on their social media channels.  More information about the Bahamas Laws of Life Essay and Video competition can also be found on their website  www.bahamaslawsoflife.org .

Additionally, on June 10, 2024 some of the winners were able to participate in a Courtesy Call on Her Excellency Dame Cynthia Pratt. During that visit Her Excellency congratulated the students and the committee members on a job well done. She told the students that, “You young people are a reminder that there is Hope; share what you have gained from this experience with your peers.”

This 2024 winners in each division are:

Primary Division:

1st Place: Jasline Thompson – E.P Roberts Primary 

2nd Place: Valencia Anthony – Summit Academy

3rd Place: Alexis Knowles – Palmdale Primary

Tied 4th: Donavan Davis – Tarpum Bay

Tied 4th: Kennedy Albury – Summit Academy

5th Place: Devonique Bain – Queen’s College

6th Place: Gabrielle Oliver – FOCUS (Lyford Cay Foundation)

——————–

Junior Division:

1st Place: Ethan Alair Farquharson – Queen’s College 

Tied 2nd: Nhaysa Charles – Aquinas College

Tied 2nd: Alyssa Thalia Pratt – Queen’s College

3rd Place: Kenley Knowles – Kingsway Academy

Tied 4th: Kassidy Eucharia Burrows – Exuma Christian Academy

Tied 4th: Chloe Sawyer – Queens College

Tied 5th: Evan R. Z. Saunders – Exuma Christian Academy

Tied 5th: Omari Rolle – Aquinas College

Tied 6th: Virginia Miller – C.H.Reeves Junior High School

Tied 6th: Arianna Jaslene Miller – Queen’s College

Tied 6th: Taiden Culmer – Kingsway Academy

Senior Division: 

1st Place: Zykia Moss – R.M Bailey Senior High School 

2nd Place: Laurelle Paul – Aquinas College

3rd Place: Danielle Wood – Sunland Baptist Academy

Tied 4th: Jael Gabrielle Taylor – Kingsway Academy

Tied 4th: Savannah Lynn Niquel Cartwright – Kingsway Academy

Tied 5th: Tamar Armbrister – Aquinas College

Tied 5th: Kylee Knowles – Aquinas College

6th Place: Jeremy Nairn – Aquinas College

College Division:

1st Place: Alrika Newbold – University of The Bahamas

2nd Place: Jade Miller – University of The Bahamas

3d Place: De’Anthoni Coakley – University of The Bahamas

Video Division:

1st Place: Gianna Scavella – Queen’s College

2nd Place: Aretha Culmer – Central Eleuthera High

3rd Place: Lester Arnett/Lamar Williams – Aquinas College

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KADEN MOSS-MOULTRIE PENS OVERALL WINNING LAWS OF LIFE ESSAY

NASSAU, Bahamas, June 26, 2023 — Aquinas College’s Kaiden Moss-Moultrie was the top scorer in the senior division and overall winner of the 15th Laws of Life Essay Competition. She walked away with a $1,000 scholarship and a prize that was matched equally for her school, The Nassau Guardian reported in an article written by Lifestyles Editor Shavaughn Moss,

University of The Bahamas’ Chanae Barr, C.H. Reeves’ Kevin Williams, Temple Christian School’s Dwayne Small, and Tambearly International School’s Terranique Burrows were winners in their respective categories.

They each also received a $1,000 scholarship as well as a prize of equal value for their respective schools. The coveted top awards for all the divisions were presented to 88 students from public and private schools, as well as local tertiary institutions.

Through essays and videos, participants demonstrated their understanding and application of the Laws of Life.

All participants selected one of the suggested Laws of Life for their division, explained its meaning, and offered personal insights, experiences and real-world examples of the law being applied. Some of the laws selected by the students were: “Help yourself by helping others”, “Those who do good do well”, “Success feeds on itself and creates more success”, and “Make yourself necessary to the world and mankind will give you bread”.

With The Bahamas celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence, the topics selected for this year’s competition focused on the words vision, progress, positivity, love, wisdom, learning, and success.

Participants applied their writing and video production skills to convey their ideas on how progress is fueled by diligence and perseverance.

Dr. Andrew Serazin, president of Templeton World Charity Foundation, congratulated the students on their participation in what he called the “super bowl” event of the foundation. He spoke to the purpose of the competition and its impact on students and our community.

“The [Laws of Life] can help us respond to a Facebook post, or a WhatsApp chat, a TikTok or even something like ChatGPT. But here in the real world, more importantly, you can use the Laws of Life to help a friend in need, or make a difficult decision in your life, or plan your own future. This year, the Laws of Life topics for all the individual divisions touched on aspects of how we can improve ourselves, and one common thread was that many essays included moving passages about the Bahamian journey to independence. These essays illustrate the vision of Sir John Templeton and the Templeton World Charity Foundation, not just to get by, but to flourish, as illustrated profoundly in the motto of the country, ‘Forward, Upward, Onward, Together’,” said Serazin at the award ceremony held on Thursday, June 8 at the Baha Mar Convention Center.

A joint venture initiative between Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Ministry of Education and Technical and Vocational Training, the Laws of Life Essay and Video Competition aims to encourage students, through their writing and video production, to reflect upon and articulate how the Laws of Life shape their lives, guide their decisions, and engender personal growth and positive contributions to society.

The 2023 competition was launched in November 2022, closing this year in early May. With approximately 1,700 entries obtained from students in grades five through 12, as well as students enrolled in local tertiary institutions, the markers and judges, officials say, faced the difficult task of selecting the winners from among an array of exceptional entries.

See complete article in The Nassau Guardian at https://thenassauguardian.com/kaiden-moss-moultrie-pens-overall-winning-laws-of-life-essay/?fbclid=IwAR22C6eBTptY_T0cH8Dl3kgmADkzjZnXyHG6OTeD7wa9gHY2cM4pK-jNsDs

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About Oswald Brown, Editor

2021 Laws of Life Essay Competition opens

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NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Templeton World Charity Foundation, through its partnership with the Bahamas Ministry of Education, is hosting its annual Laws of Life Essay Competition and is calling on all eligible students to apply.

Since 1987, students in communities around the globe have competed for prizes in essay contests based on the Laws of Life in Sir John Templeton’s writings.

The Laws of Life Committee made the decision to focus the 2021 competition on laws that espoused empathy, care, understanding and appreciation for what our country and the world is experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 has changed the landscape of our daily lives,” the committee said. “It has disrupted our economy, our schools, our churches and even our relationships with others. In the age of the coronavirus, we have had to rethink and change many of the ways we do things, including how we interact and connect with others.

“Even though COVID-19 has impacted the way we interact with one another, it has shown us that forming and maintaining personal relationships is more important than ever.”

Students in primary, junior, senior and college divisions are asked to select one of Sir John Templeton’s laws of life and submit essays explaining how that specific law is meaningful in their own lives.

Secondary students also have the option of creating a short video instead of a written essay.

Students are required to choose a law from their appropriate division, expound upon its meaning and offer real-life and personal examples of the law in action.

Some of the laws students can choose from are: “Happy relationships depend not on finding the right person but on being the right person”; “As you are active in blessing others, they find their burdens easier to bear”; and “Joy is not in things, but is in you”.

Additional topics, contest rules and resources may be found on the contest website bahamaslawsoflife.org.

The committee members added: “Students are encouraged to select the law that expresses a key value and/or ideal by which we should live, explain why the chosen value/ideal is important to the way we live our lives by discussing your experiences, the lessons they’ve learned and people who have served as living examples of your chosen value/ideal.

“This is a great opportunity for students, teachers and schools to regain some of the momentum that may have been lost due to the pandemic, by bringing their school spirit and pride to this amazing competition.”

The final date for submission is February 12, 2021.

First place prize for the college division is $1,000; and first place prizes for the senior, junior and primary division are $700, $600 and $500 respectively.

Each divisional winner also receives a $1000 scholarship/tuition assistance award.

Due to the continued safety concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition has embarked on an innovative venture and developed an online portal for submission and assessment of entries. There will be no physical contact with contestant entries moving forward.

Students must create a profile via the contest website, by which they will upload and submit their entries.

As is customary, the top finalists in each division will be selected and revealed at the awards ceremony at a later date. The element of surprise has become an anticipated feature of the competition.

For further information, interested parties may visit bahamaslawsoflife.org; email [email protected]; or follow the competition on social media by checking out its Facebook and Instagram pages.

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Laws of Life Essay Competition Attract More Than 2100

Tue, jun 13th 2017, 03:05 pm.

More than 2100 students from around The Bahamas submitted entries to the 2017 Laws of Life Essay Competition, in hopes of garnering recognition for their writing skills, sweetened by one of the generous prizes offered at the four levels of the contest—Primary, Junior, Senior and College. Participants represented public and private schools in New Providence and the Family Islands including: Grand Bahama, Bimini, Abaco, Eleuthera, Andros, Exuma, San Salvador, Long Island, Ragged Island, Inagua and Acklins. Launched in The Bahamas in 2009, the popular annual event is funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation Inc. (TWCF), under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. The Department of Education’s Writing Unit, consisting of Education Officers Liesl Wright, Linda Collie and Annamaria Smith, organizes the competition each year, in collaboration with the Templeton World Charity Foundation Inc. Committee, led by Mena Griffiths and long-time consultant Elma Garraway. 

Competition judges were: Pastor Allen Lee, the chief judge, Father Michael Gittens, Patricia Glinton-Meicholas, Pastor Lyall Bethel, Harriet Pratt and Letha Strachan. This year’s essay topics focused on laws associated with gratitude. The over-arching thought was that following the devastation of Hurricane Matthew in October 2016, students would wish to express their thoughts on being grateful. Competition was fierce; among the essays submitted, 350 essays scored 90 per cent and above. 

The 2017 winners were: Elise Barnett of the University of The Bahamas, Michael Miller of Genesis Academy, Katherine Venkatagiri of Queen’s College and Mila Sands of Queen’s College. Miller, Venkatagiri and Sands all won a $1,000 tuition scholarship. Genesis Academy took home the Dr. John Templeton Memorial Floating Trophy as the top scoring essay winner and the English Department of the winners’ schools took home a cash prize of $1,000. Cash prizes ranging from $50 to $1000 were also awarded to: student finalists, schools with the most finalists, and teachers with the most finalists. Attended by finalists, representatives of TWCF and a host of educators, family and friends, the awards ceremony was held was on the June 1 at the British Colonial Hilton Hotel. The principal speaker for the evening was Janice Kaplan, author of the New York Times bestseller The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Transform Your Life. Also speaking was Dr. Andrew Serazin, president, TWCF. Serethea Clarke, Deputy Director of Education of the Ministry of Education, Science & Technology, extended heartfelt thanks to the Foundation for its generosity in sponsoring the largest essay competition in The Bahamas. “We at the Ministry of Education, look forward to a continued partnership with your organization in focusing students’ attention on the virtues of living a good life,” Mrs. Clarke said to TWCF Executives. Clarke encouraged the students to continue to strive for excellence. “Essay contestants, I congratulate you for the exceptional work that you have done to produce your essays,” she said. “It is my hope that each of you will pursue a life that upholds the “law of life” that you have written about for this Competition. I encourage you to continue to be a part of the generation who will promote an excellent work ethic on a national level. I believe that you will become productive citizens who will contribute to the sustainable development of The Bahamas.” The evening was enlivened by the ever-popular Rake N’ Scrape Band of the Gerald Cash Primary School. The Laws of Life Essay Competition was founded by John Templeton, legendary financier and author of many books on a subject he held dear and promoted widely. Competition Chairperson Mena Griffith explains: “Sir John believed that there exists a set of rules which can make our lives more happy and successful if we lived by them. He called these rules the ‘Laws of Life’. Sir John believed that such rules could come from many sources, including ancient religious texts and scientific enquiry. “He often encouraged people to think about their own rules, and pioneered the first Laws of Life Essay Contest to help school-aged children think about the laws which they want to live by.” Famed evangelist Billy Graham said of Sir John, “John Templeton understands that the real measure of a person's success in life is not financial accomplishment but moral integrity and inner character.” The namesake son of Sir John, the late Dr. Jack Templeton and his wife Pina, became enthusiastic supporters of the Laws of Life Essay Competition, attending yearly until the physician’s death two years ago. The Laws of Life Essay Competition continues to reign as the largest essay competition in the country, based upon size and funding provided.

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Deadline looms for contest for Bahamian students

As of Monday, January 15, 2024

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STUDENTS can compete for their share of over $10,000 in prizes and scholarships in the 2024 Bahamas Laws of Life Essay Competition.

The Ministry of Education & Technical Vocation and Templeton World Charity Foundation is holding the essay competition themed “Nurturing Minds, Sustaining Lives: The importance of self-care and mental health awareness”.

Students across The Bahamas, from grade 5 to collegiate levels, have until Friday, February 9, to submit their essays or videos.

For more information visit www.bahamaslawsoflife.org.

The Ministry of Education & Technical Vocation is holding a video competition themed “Celebrating Bahamian Pioneers: Architects of Freedom and Progress”

Students from grades seven to nine can create a three-to-five-minute video highlighting the contributions of our nation’s leaders for a chance to win prizes.

Submission deadline is January 19.

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2020 Winners

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2020 Laws of Life Essay Competition! Here is the complete list of winners in each division.

VIDEO DIVISION | COLLEGE DIVISION | PRIMARY DIVISION | JUNIOR DIVISION | SENIOR DIVISION

VIDEO DIVISION WINNERS

VIDEO DIVISION HONOURABLE MENTION

COLLEGE DIVISION WINNERS

PRIMARY DIVISION WINNERS

PRIMARY DIVISION HONOURABLE MENTION

JUNIOR DIVISION WINNERS

JUNIOR DIVISION HONOURABLE MENTION

SENIOR DIVISION WINNERS

SENIOR DIVISION HONOURABLE MENTION

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Our founder, Sir John Templeton, built a legacy of philanthropy with global reach. He chose to make Nassau, The Bahamas his home for the last four decades of his life and was enthusiastic about investing in the continued growth and development of this archipelagic nation.

As part of his living legacy, the Foundation is honored to continue its support of many non-profit organizations throughout The Bahamas, spanning the following areas: Education, Research, projects aimed at Building Strong Communities and a Sustainable Future.

Education Since 2009, The Bahamas Laws of Life Essay Competition has helped thousands of students develop their writing skills, while learning about themes like purpose, in order to build character and moral virtues. Over 2000 entries are submitted from students throughout New Providence, Grand Bahama and the Family of Islands.

Research Our local grant making also funds a myriad of local initiatives and research studies. For example, the challenges, successes, and prospects of post-Dorian recovery is a research study undertaken by Bahamian Dr. Virgil Storr at the Mercatus Center in Washington D.C.

We have also supported research by the University of Nottingham into understanding the impact of intersecting social, economic, and ecological crises on human trafficking in The Bahamas. While these projects make an impact in the communities they study, the insights and findings are used throughout the world.

Building Strong Communities and a Sustainable Future Our funding toward Character Day Bahamas, (PACE Foundation) and the Sir John Templeton Memorial Scholarships (Lyford Cay Foundations) is ongoing. Moreover, we are proud to support efforts to build a sustainable future for The Bahamas with donations to the Young Men’s Leadership Program at The Island School in Eleuthera, Hands For Hunger in Nassau, and the Scaling Up Local Agriculture grant in the Northern Bahamas with the Blue Atlas Project.

Other charitable organizations funded over the years by Sir John’s philanthropic vision include; The Pompey Museum, Teen Challenge, The Nassau Institute, The Christian Counseling Centre Abaco, the National LEAD Institute, and more.

Widely thought of as the country’s most prestigious essay competition, each year young people are invited to reflect and write about their beliefs and principles.

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Local and regional programming to support a number of Bahamian researchers.

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