RITESCOPEZ YOUNG MINDS CHALLENGE 2026

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

50 Days of Creativity, Ideas and Positive Change

RiteScopez.com is proud to introduce the Young Minds Challenge 2026, a Jamaican youth essay competition designed to give young people an opportunity to express their thoughts, share their ideas and help create positive change.

We are inviting children across Jamaica, ages 11 to 17, to participate in this exciting competition.

This year's topic addresses three important issues affecting young people today.

COMPETITION TOPIC

Bullying, Peer Pressure and Social Media: How Can We Make Schools Safer?

Bullying, peer pressure and social media can have a major impact on the lives of children and teenagers. We want to hear your thoughts, experiences, ideas and solutions.

How can students, parents, teachers and communities work together to create safer schools?

This is your opportunity to speak up, inspire others and make a difference.

1. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

The competition is open to children living in Jamaica who fall within the following age groups as of December 31, 2026.

GROUP 1 – JUNIOR DIVISION

• Ages: 11–14 years.

• Minimum essay length: 300 words.

• Maximum essay length: 500 words.

GROUP 2 – SENIOR DIVISION

• Ages: 15–17 years.

• Minimum essay length: 400 words.

• Maximum essay length: 700 words.

Both divisions will be judged separately, with their own first, second and third-place winners.

2. ESSAY REQUIREMENTS

All participants must write an original essay addressing:

"Bullying, Peer Pressure and Social Media: How Can We Make Schools Safer?"

Your essay should demonstrate your understanding of the topic and may explore questions such as:

• What is bullying, and how does it affect children?

• How does peer pressure influence young people?

• Can social media make bullying worse?

• What can students do to prevent bullying?

• What responsibilities do parents, teachers and schools have?

• What practical solutions can make Jamaican schools safer?

• How can young people promote kindness, respect and inclusion?

Participants are encouraged to think creatively, share meaningful ideas and propose realistic solutions.

Submission rules:

• Essays must be written in English.

• Essays must meet the required minimum and maximum word counts.

• Only one essay is permitted per participant.

• Essays must be submitted through the official RiteScopez competition submission process.

• All submissions must be original work.

• Essays must not contain offensive, threatening or discriminatory language.

3. COMPETITION PRIZES

We are offering cash prizes to recognize outstanding young writers in both divisions.

GROUP 1 – JUNIOR DIVISION (AGES 11–14)

1st Place
J$10,000 + Certificate

2nd Place
J$5,000 + Certificate

3rd Place
J$2,000 + Certificate

GROUP 2 – SENIOR DIVISION (AGES 15–17)

1st Place
J$10,000 + Certificate

2nd Place
J$5,000 + Certificate

3rd Place
J$2,000 + Certificate

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

One special People's Choice Award will be presented to the participant receiving the highest number of valid public votes across both divisions.

The recipient will receive a special recognition certificate.

CERTIFICATES FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS

Every eligible participant will receive a digital Certificate of Participation.

All six main prize winners will also receive certificates recognizing their placements.

4. HOW WILL ENTRIES BE JUDGED?

Every eligible essay will be evaluated by an appointed judging panel.

The competition will be judged out of 100 points.

What are the judges looking for?

• Creativity: Interesting and imaginative ideas.

• Originality: Independent thinking and unique perspectives.

• Understanding: A clear understanding of bullying, peer pressure and social media.

• Presentation: Clear writing, organization and communication.

• Impact: Meaningful solutions that could help make schools safer.

A minimum of three judges will evaluate the entries. Judges will score independently, and final scores will be combined.

In the event of a tie, the highest Impact score will determine the winner, followed by Understanding and Originality if necessary.

5. PEOPLE'S CHOICE PUBLIC VOTING

In addition to the judges' decisions, the public will have an opportunity to recognize their favourite essay.

The People's Choice Award will be determined separately from the main competition.

Voting rules:

1. Public voting will take place on RiteScopez.com.

2. Voters must have registered RiteScopez accounts.

3. Each registered account may cast one valid vote per entry.

4. Likes and comments will not affect the judges' 100-point scores.

5. Duplicate, automated or fraudulent voting is prohibited.

6. RiteScopez reserves the right to investigate suspicious voting activity and invalidate fraudulent votes.

7. Voting will close on December 30, 2026.

The essay with the highest number of valid votes across both age groups will receive the People's Choice Award.

6. OFFICIAL COMPETITION TIMELINE

Competition opens: November 12, 2026.

Registration and essay submission deadline: December 11, 2026.

Judging period: December 12–19, 2026.

People's Choice public voting: December 20–30, 2026.

Official winners announcement: December 31, 2026.

Late submissions will not be accepted unless RiteScopez officially announces an extension.

Participants cannot change their essays after the submission deadline.

7. ORIGINALITY, PLAGIARISM AND AI POLICY

RiteScopez wants to recognize genuine creativity and independent thinking.

• All essays must represent the participant's own ideas and work.

• Copying another person's essay or submitting someone else's work is prohibited.

• Plagiarism may result in disqualification.

• AI tools must not be used to generate or rewrite an essay for submission as the participant's own original work.

• Basic spelling and grammar correction tools are permitted.

• Participants must disclose any other AI assistance used in preparing their submissions.

• RiteScopez may request clarification regarding the originality of an entry.

8. PARENT OR GUARDIAN CONSENT

Because this competition involves children under 18, parental or legal guardian consent is mandatory.

• Participants must obtain permission from their parent or legal guardian before entering.

• Parents or guardians must authorize the processing of information required for competition administration.

• Separate permission must be obtained before publishing a child's essay, photograph or identifiable personal details.

• Parents or guardians will be contacted regarding winners and prize arrangements.

• RiteScopez will take reasonable steps to protect children's privacy and personal information.

9. CHILD SAFETY AND RESPECT

RiteScopez is committed to creating a safe and respectful environment for every participant.

• Bullying, harassment and personal attacks will not be tolerated.

• Comments will be moderated.

• Participants must not expose or identify alleged bullies, victims or individuals in their essays.

• Personal information such as home addresses, telephone numbers and private contact details must not appear in public submissions.

• RiteScopez reserves the right to remove inappropriate comments or content.

10. ESSAY OWNERSHIP AND PUBLICATION

Participants retain ownership of their original essays.

By entering the competition, participants and their parents or guardians grant RiteScopez a non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to publish, display and promote the submitted essay in connection with the competition and its educational activities.

Separate permission will be required for photographs and other identifiable personal information.

RiteScopez will not sell or commercially license a child's essay without separate permission.

11. DISQUALIFICATION

RiteScopez reserves the right to disqualify any participant who:

• Submits plagiarized or fraudulent work.

• Provides false age or registration information.

• Submits multiple entries.

• Attempts to manipulate public voting.

• Violates the child safety or conduct requirements.

• Fails to provide the required parental or guardian consent.

• Breaches the official competition rules.

12. FINAL COMPETITION TERMS

RiteScopez's appointed organizers will oversee the competition.

The judging panel's decisions will be final, subject to correction of scoring or administrative errors.

RiteScopez reserves the right to postpone, modify or cancel the competition in exceptional circumstances. Any significant changes will be communicated publicly.

Personal information will be handled in accordance with applicable Jamaican data protection requirements.

By participating, the child and their parent or legal guardian agree to the official competition rules.

YOUR VOICE MATTERS. YOUR IDEAS MATTER. YOUR FUTURE MATTERS.

RiteScopez Young Minds Challenge 2026

50 Days. One Topic. Countless Ideas. One Powerful Generation.

Register and submit your essay at RiteScopez.com

Young Minds Today. Great Leaders Tomorrow.

Organized by RiteScopez.com